My Floor Is Sloping

In order to help determine this and how serious things are it is important to know how much the floor is sloping where it is sloping one room a hallway or the whole house and in what direction.

My floor is sloping. A slant slope situation might be one where over the course of 15 or 20 horizontal feet the floor slopes down one or two inches. If floor sloping is limited to the first story of the house that is there is no corresponding slope to the 2nd story floor then the reason could be missing support posts and damaged joists. However if the second floor slopes along with the first floor then there could be a more serious structural cause such as foundation damage or settlement. Sloping or uneven floors are rarely caused by a problem with the floor system itself.

Sloping floors are most often caused by normal and acceptable deflection bend in the wood joists which comprise the floor structure. Raise the lower end of the level until the bubble is centered then measure the distance from the bottom of the level to the floor to find the depth of the dip. Floors that slant or slope. Sloping floors are floors that are no longer level.

Except for that slope the floor itself might be flat. Sloping uneven floors are a problem that occurs when your foundation has settled or sunk unevenly. Although most floors slope it is important to know how much and why. Golf ball marble or steel bearing.

Lay a long level downhill on the floor with one end of the level on the level part of the floor and the other end at the lowest point. The average person can sense if a floor slopes 1 inch in 10 feet and sloping floors or sagging floors are often one of the warning signs that structural engineers look for when analyzing a house. If a floor develops a slope it can be a sign of the house settling or a foundational issue. In some cases the slope is caused or aggravated by similar deflection in the girder main bearing beam that supports one end.

These signs usually signal a problem with your home s foundation. Foundation issues deteriorating wood supports especially sills which rest on the foundation footer improperly installed joists or sub floors and other issues can all cause a floor to slope or sag. There are several problems that can cause a sagging or sloping floor which is one of the reasons why fixing a sloping floor is difficult. Houses are built with all the floors parallel to the ground but this may change with time or damage.

If you can take a ball put it on the floor and it rolls down the sloping surface then there is likely an issue with your foundation. Sloped floors are common in older homes and even in homes as new as 15 to 30 years. Floor slopes and slants are common in old houses.