Bouncy/Squeeky floors

mjwkr2000

10 years ago

So we have been in our house since the end of November...we love it. There are a few things that, while they don't bother my wife much, are driving me insane.

In our master bedroom the floor seems bouncy and noisey. It isn't really a squeek persay but I talked to the builder about it. He believes the noise has a lot to do with the low humidity in the home due to the extreme cold here in MI. He pointed to the contract where they explicitly say, 'they do not fix squeeks'. He recommended that we increase the humidity a bit to see if it goes away. He didn't offer much in the way of correcting the bouncing.

I can verify that the subfloor was glued and screwed. When someone is walking around upstairs and I am in the basement I cannot see the sub floor move. Now, with that said, the other problem is the floor is bouncy. You can't feel it when you walk, but the mirror on my dresser will bounce and make noise when you walk by. Our bedroom is fairly large so I am thinking that adding some additional cross-bracing in the basement will go a long way in helping both my problems. I don't really want to do solid blocking just due to the issues down the road when finishing the basement (running wires, etc.). Any thoughts? Does anyone have any experience with something like in the link below (Strong-Tie Tension Bridging)?

Comments (10)

rwiegand
10 years ago
Sounds like the joists are slightly under-sized for the span. The surest fix is to add support in the middle with a couple of posts and a beam. A little movement may well be within engineering specs, so it's not necessarily a design flaw. If your basement won't be overly messed up by the extra supports this is an easy fix. You can experiment by putting in a temporary support with a couple of 2x8s on top of a pair of building jacks. Chances are the floor will seem rock solid with minimal extra support. I'm not sure bridging will do that much for your problem.
renovator8
10 years ago
good luck with your project

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 16:37
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mjwkr2000
Original Author
10 years ago
I definitely have access from the bottom. There are some sistered joists but only a handful in the whole house. The Joists are I beam and the span is approximately 15-18'. Here is picture to give you an idea of the area (its the section near the electrical box. That entire area is my master BR.
Awnmyown
10 years ago
Quick question...what are your rim boards made out of?? I've been told that I-joists will bounce and squeek if the rim boards they are connected to are *not* a timberstrand or another type of engineered lumber.

Using conventional lumber for rim boards (regular spruce 2x12's etc) results in a difference in the expansion and contraction characteristics of the two woods (engineered i-joists to conventional lumber), and the two components over time begin to move at different rates, causing this effect. This can be due to temperature differences, humidity, etc. Considering the comments of your GC, I wouldn't be surprised if this is your issue.

The engineered rim boards are significantly more expensive than conventional lumber, and this often means that companies will save a few bucks by mixing the two products. Always at the expense of the home owner.
renovator8
10 years ago
good luck with your project

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 16:38
renovator8
10 years ago
good luck with your project

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 16:39
motherof3sons
10 years ago
We just resolved this same issue. Added more bracing at 1/3 increments across the ceiling. It helped some, but did not resolve everything. One thing we found is a couple of the joists were not secured properly to the rim board.

Good luck with your project.
mjwkr2000
Original Author
10 years ago
Motherof3 what do you mean by 1/3 increments? This issue drives me absolutely bonkers
renovator8
10 years ago
good luck with your project

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 16:40
mjwkr2000
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok, correction, my foor josts are not I beam. They are 2 X 12 timber. The span in my master is 15' 8". I don't see any markings on the beams/joists.