Are there cracks or any sagging on the floor of your house? Sagging of a wooden floor and cracking or sinking of concrete or tiled floor are just two of several problems that you can encounter with regards to the interior of your house. These issues must not be taken for granted. The floor and even the roof and ceiling can collapse and cause damage or injury to the occupants of your house. You cannot fix this problem on your own. You must find an interior floor repair expert to do the job.
Interior Floor Damage and How to Repair Them
The method of repairing the interior floor depends on the materials and the kind of damage. Common problems with the floor of old houses are the sloping or sagging floor. Houses are built over a foundation, which can be a full basement foundation, crawlspace, and concrete slab-on-grade. The floor of a house floor usually slopes or sags at the center because the sides are supported by the strong foundation while the middle part is supported by posts, some of which may weaken over the years. Here are some ways of fixing the damaged interior floor.
Sagging or Sloping Floors
There are four ways to fix a sagging or sloping floor. One is by adding a metal reinforcement. This can be applied to rafters on the roof or joists of the floor. Plywood can also be used for reinforcement. The damaged part is placed between two pieces of plywood. When properly installed, this can hold the sagging or sloping part for a while although not for a long time.
Another means of interior floor repair is sistering. Two identical pieces of lumber are placed on the sagging or sloping part to keep it level. The third way of repairing sagging or sloping floor is by using a flitch plate made of plywood or metal such as steel.
Jacking is another way of fixing a sagging floor or sloping floor. First, the lowest point of the sag or slope is determined. Then, a jack is placed beneath it. The jack is turned so that it pushes up the lowest part of the incline. The screw must be turned every two months until the floor surface is level.
While using any of four fixes can help repair the damage, it can take months or years for the floor to become level.
Cracked Concrete Floor
When you see a crack on your concrete floor, the first thing that comes into your mind is that something is wrong with the concrete floor. However, there are cases when cracking is a result of the way the concrete is poured and cured.
There are several reasons why concrete floors crack. One is the shrinking of the concrete when it was still in the form of plastic. As it shrinks, the slab becomes smaller. As concrete dries up, it becomes very stiff and later, the stress created by the shrinking slab can result in cracks of different sizes.
Heaving can also cause cracks to form on concrete. Heaving happens when pressure causes the concrete slab to rise from the soil. Concrete close to a tree root is most likely to have cracks because the roots cause it to heave.
Settling can also cause cracks on a concrete floor. This happens when a big root of a tree is removed nearby. The soil that moved up during the uprooting settles down and this causes the concrete to crack.
Placing a heavy load on a concrete floor can also cause it to crack. Underground water can move beneath the floor, causing the soil below to be moist and soft. When a heavy object is placed on the floor, the pressure will cause the concrete slap to go down. However, water is also pushing it up. The pressure can cause the slab to crack.
However, there are ways to repair cracked concrete floor. There is a compound that can be used to fix the cracks. To make sure that the openings are tightly sealed, open the crack wider. If there is moisture or water, remove it first. Get rid of all dirt by using a hose with pressurized nozzle. You can also use a steel brush to make sure that the crack is clean. Mix the patching compound with a trowel, put it into the cracks. Use the trowel to smoothen the patch. Let the mixture dry properly. To make the crack lines invisible, paint the area where the crack was.
Are you seeing sagging or sloping floor or cracking one? Try the most appropriate interior flooring repair method for the best results.
