wonky floorboards
 

Hi

Over the past couple of years I have noticed that my house has an increased
number of noticeably wonky floorboards.

When I first moved in five years ago this problem only occurred in a couple
of rooms. I now have wonky floorboards in five rooms and was wondering why
this has happened over the past couple of years.

Could I have a structural problem or is it the age of the property? It was
built in 1920 and there has been no work done to the flooring since.

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Helen

In article , "Helen Findlay"
says...
Hi

Over the past couple of years I have noticed that my house has an increased
number of noticeably wonky floorboards.

When I first moved in five years ago this problem only occurred in a couple
of rooms. I now have wonky floorboards in five rooms and was wondering why
this has happened over the past couple of years.

Could I have a structural problem or is it the age of the property? It was
built in 1920 and there has been no work done to the flooring since.

What exactly do you mean by wonky? What work has been done to the
house in recent years - heating, insulation etc?

There has been no work done to the house in at least five years.

The floorboards upstairs in some areas seem looser and move noticeably when
walking over them and downstairs there is a slight incline where they seem
lower than the rest of the room. Not hugely but I have noticed this over
the last few months.

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article , "Helen Findlay"
says...
Hi

Over the past couple of years I have noticed that my house has an
increased
number of noticeably wonky floorboards.

When I first moved in five years ago this problem only occurred in a
couple
of rooms. I now have wonky floorboards in five rooms and was wondering
why
this has happened over the past couple of years.

Could I have a structural problem or is it the age of the property? It
was
built in 1920 and there has been no work done to the flooring since.

What exactly do you mean by wonky? What work has been done to the
house in recent years - heating, insulation etc?

In article ,
Helen Findlay wrote:
When I first moved in five years ago this problem only occurred in a
couple of rooms. I now have wonky floorboards in five rooms and was
wondering why this has happened over the past couple of years.

Could I have a structural problem or is it the age of the property? It
was built in 1920 and there has been no work done to the flooring since.

I'd lift one loose one and have a look at the joists underneath. I came
across one 20s house where this was caused by woodworm. :-(

--
*Speak softly and carry a cellular phone *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , Helen Findlay
writes
There has been no work done to the house in at least five years.

The floorboards upstairs in some areas seem looser and move noticeably when
walking over them

Easily fixed with a few screws or nails.

and downstairs there is a slight incline where they seem
lower than the rest of the room. Not hugely but I have noticed this over
the last few months.

Hmm, that could indicate a problem with the joists - such as some rot at
the end where it is supported by the wall.

I'd lift a few boards and have a peek

--
Chris French, Leeds

Over the past couple of years I have noticed that my house has an
increased number of noticeably wonky floorboards.


Could I have a structural problem or is it the age of the property? It
was built in 1920 and there has been no work done to the flooring since.


when was the CH and/or double glazing installed. The wood might have just
shrunk due to newly dry conditions.

john

Easily fixed with a few screws or nails.

I have also seen cases where two boards being butted together are not
over a joist but use the tounge and groove edges for support. Eventually
the tounges give way and the board flexes ... over time the tounge gets
ripped back to the last supporting joist.

This is not so easy to fix with screws and nails alone.

Also, when replacing screws and nails be careful where you screw. I tend
replace with a nail/screw of about the same length and use the same hole
if possible as wires and pipes are often notched into the top of joists
(they are *usually* in the centre ... but you never know).

If you can do so without damageing things further, lifting the board and
having a look is a good idea ... but bear in mind that lifting and
replacing boards will often cause more squeaks.

Alex

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 01:55:44 -0000, "Helen Findlay"
wrote:

There has been no work done to the house in at least five years.

The floorboards upstairs in some areas seem looser and move noticeably when
walking over them and downstairs there is a slight incline where they seem
lower than the rest of the room. Not hugely but I have noticed this over
the last few months.

Floorboards often work loose with time. Usually they are nailed down.
Try screwing the loose ones down to the joists (make sure you don't go
through any pipes or cables though!).

A slight incline probably is just caused by the joists sagging with
age. However, if this had dropped noticably in a few months, I would
suggest that you get it checked out.

Mark.

In article , "Helen Findlay"
says...
There has been no work done to the house in at least five years.

The floorboards upstairs in some areas seem looser and move noticeably when
walking over them

That could be shrinkage caused by central heating reducing humidity.
If that's the case they can be probably be secured by screwing down,
being careful to avoid plumbing and wiring that might be underneath.

and downstairs there is a slight incline where they seem
lower than the rest of the room.

That could be wet rot or similar damage to the joists, usually where
they are supported by a masonry wall. Best to lift the boards to have
a look.

and downstairs there is a slight incline where they seem
lower than the rest of the room.


That could be wet rot or similar damage to the joists, usually where
they are supported by a masonry wall. Best to lift the boards to have
a look.

Do you have a hatch somewhere to get under the boards without lifting them?

chris French wrote:

The floorboards upstairs in some areas seem looser and move noticeably
when
walking over them


Easily fixed with a few screws or nails.

But use a pipe detector or you _might_ go into a CH pipe notched into
the top of the joists....Seen it done first hand! ahem


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