Why Are My Floors Sloping or Uneven

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Lately you've started to notice issues with your floors. Maybe round objects start to roll. Maybe it seems to sag in spots. You're left wondering if something is wrong with your home.

The bad news is that, yes, something is likely wrong. Unless they were improperly constructed and have always sloped (which is a different issue), some problem is causing your floors to be uneven. What that is will determine how serious of a problem it is and what must be done to fix it.

Common Causes of Sloping and Uneven Floors

Foundation Settlement & Failure

Your home's foundation provides the base for the entire structure. If portions of it settle or sink, it is going to throw the home out of alignment. That won't be limited to the floors, but it will likely include them.

A number of different issues could be the cause of the settlement. The soil might be too weak to support the house. Erosion could have weakened the soil. Expansive soils might be in the shrink portion of their significant shrink-swell cycle. Regardless, your floors aren't level because your home's foundation is no longer level.

Plumbing leaks can cause settlement as well by weakening or eroding the soil in the affected areas.

Wood Rot

Many of your home's structural components, from beams to floor joists, are probably made of wood. If the wood begins to rot, likely because of excessive moisture levels, they won't be able to provide the strength to properly support your floor.

This is another area where plumbing leaks could be a cause, as well, water contributes to wood rot.

Wood rot is a particular problem in crawl spaces that haven't been properly encapsulated. This is because they can be prone to anything from flooding to excessive levels of humidity, conditions that make wood rot more likely. Issues in crawl spaces are also more likely to be ignored than those in a more accessible basement.

Wood rot can cause a number of different issues depending on the location of the affected beams or joists. Sometimes the floor will simply slope. Other times it might sag and feel spongy to walk on. This is a sign that the structure supporting the floor has been compromised and that repairs are needed.

Pier Failures

If your home has a crawl space, the beams might be supported by a system of piers. The materials can range from cinder blocks to bricks to steel. If, say, a masonry pier begins to crumble, it won't be able to support the beam above it properly.

This can cause some of the same issues as wood rot, with the problem more localized than with some forms of settlement.

Construction Errors

While Jerry's Waterproofing has experts trained in either repairing or preventing the first three of these, we now move into some non-foundation-related possibilities.

An example of a construction error could include damaging or removing a load-bearing wall during a construction or renovation project, leading the floor above it to slant.

Overloading

Is your floor supporting more weight than it was designed to hold? If so, it is probably going to start slanting. Depending upon what is causing the overloading, this could be an easy fix. That is not always the case, though.

Solutions for Sloping and Uneven Floors in Iowa and Nebraska

The solution to the sloping floors will depend upon what the cause is. For instance, if the floor is being overloaded, something must be done to either give it greater support or some of the load must be removed.

Similarly, if construction errors were the cause, those must be rectified. The other causes, however, fall into our specialty here at Jerry's Waterproofing: foundation repair and waterproofing.

Foundation Piering Systems

Minor amounts of settlement are to be expected in a home and generally don't cause significant issues. More significant settlement, especially more significant differential settlement where the home doesn't settle evenly, can cause foundation failure.

To re-level your home's foundation and provide the support necessary to ensure it does not happen again, we recommend a foundation piering system.

Depending upon issues including soil conditions and bedrock depth, we might suggest either helical piers or push piers.

Helical piers, which have helical plates that make them resemble large screws, are hydraulically screwed into the ground until they reach a load-bearing strata of soil. The torque readings during installation lets us know precisely when they have reached a depth strong enough to support your home with a safety factor built in. They do not rely on the structure's weight to drive them into the ground, therefore they are ideal for lighter structures.

Like helical piers, push piers are sunk into the soil until they reach a load-bearing depth. Unlike helical piers, however, push piers are an end-bearing pier. This means the weight is on the end of the pier, unlike with helical piers where the helical plates provide support. This makes them ideal for shallow bedrock conditions.

In either case, the structure's weight is evenly distributed among the piers. They are made to handle heavy structural loads for all types of soil conditions.

Both types of piers are installed year-round to restore your home's value. They are quick and easy to install compared to other repair methods. They cause little to no disturbance to the work area.

Crawl Space Repair & Encapsulation

If wood rot is the cause of the sloping or uneven floors in your home, a two-pronged attack is necessary.

First, the affected beams or joists will either need to be given additional support or, in many cases, replaced altogether. This will solve the sloping floors.

The problem is, if your crawl space moisture problems persist, it will just be a temporary fix. That is why it is important to encapsulate your crawl space as well. In crawl space encapsulation, the walls, floor and any interior structural components such as piers, will be covered by a tear-resistant vapor barrier. The crawl space openings such as vents are then sealed. In some cases, additional waterproofing will be needed, be it an interior drain or a dehumidifier

With the wood rot fixed and the crawl space waterproofed, you will have a repair that you can count on to last.

Having Sloping Floor Problems in Eastern Nebraska or Western Iowa? Call Jerry's

For sloping or uneven floors in Iowa and Nebraska, contact Jerry's Waterproofing today. Our foundation repair products, by Earth Contact Products, are the most advanced products on the market. Contact us today so we can support and stabilize your floors.