Getting dipped floors leveled.

I am seeking referrals for good GCs with experience in leveling dipped floors.   I have a 100+ year-old wood frame home. The floors on the main level of the house (where one enters from the stoop) dip toward the center of the house. They are not slanted from one side to the other. My understanding is that fixing the situation requires taking up the subfloor, sistering the joists, and laying a new subfloor and finished floor. A new beam supporting the main floor might be in the offing as well. If you hired a contractor to fix a similar situation and lived to tell the tale, I’d love to hear who did the work.
Thanks!

volumeup

in Carpenters and Woodworkers 12 years and 1 month ago

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brucef | 12 years and 1 month ago

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In my post above, that is a typo regarding 3X6’s. I meant to type 2X6.

Carlos | 12 years and 1 month ago

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We have worked on many similar projects where we indeed had to taking up the old flooring, level, lay a new subfloor, install new flooring and finish.  It would be our pleasure to estimate your project.  We recently worked on a brownstone parlor rear kitchen see link to pictures below: https://picasaweb.google.com/108442755344579488321/UnEvenFloorsLeveled?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJaKj8uJ77uIvQE&feat=directlink Carlos Salazar carloswoodfloors@gmail.com http://www.jcmartinrenovation.com/wood-floor-installation/

brucef | 12 years and 1 month ago

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Dean, Nice pics. Having been in your home but not knowing which method was used, I would have never known. But I digress. I have tried Dean’s method, but his floors don’t look too bad to begi wih, and seemed to be flatter but tilted. If I understand your post, you are describing more of a banana. We have done 10-15 (probably more) sistered style jobs. We start with a bunch of 2X8’s and 3X6’s. Using a laser we lay out the spaces and make the decisions regarding up or down, taking into consideration transitions to other landings, rooms etc. We use measurements down from our reference laser level to get two beams sistered, maybe 1/3 and 2/3rds across the floor. We’ve learned the hard way not to start a one end and work towards the other. Initially we nail with a framing nailer (3 1/4″ common), but the only way that the job works is to siter BOTH sides of every joist and drill and through bolt 4-5 places across. Nails don’t hold, and you’ll never have it come out right. The choice between 2X6 and 2X8 depends on the deflection at its point of greatest correction. We also use a couple of 12 gauge light steel joists as guides. If you drop a sister in a cavity, lay the C-joists across your two reference sisters, you mostly have to pull up flush to C-joist, hold temporarily with large Irwin clamps, shoot nails. Do the other side with nails, and through bolt. We happen to use an impact wrench to tighten the 3/8″ carriage bolts, but you can use socket set. One gotcha to remember. with the old flooring completely off the old beams, they will be springy enough so that your weight, plus the weight of a helper? can deflect the joist resuting in inaccuracies. Once all the joists are sistered, it is easy to lay new tongue and groove 3/4″ plywood. Liquid nails as glue then 2 or 2 1/2″ decking screws and you will have a strong and rigid floor. Lay some new hardwood flooring and you have a floor that will last longer than any of us reading this. There will be a quiz next period!

deancollins | 12 years and 1 month ago

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Here are the photos of how we did ours. – http://www.collins.net.pr/Photo/USA/New%20York/135%20Henry%20St%2C%20Brooklyn/2.%20Construction%20Phase/photo6.htm If you want the name of the contractor get in touch via email (details on my website) basically we’ve had ours for 4 years and not a single creak etc to be heard.