One of the joists supporting our kitchen floor moves when we walk across, causing the sink unit to squeak. The house is 1930's Council-built, and the joist in point runs from the living room to the sink/window (i.e. high-traffic). Is this a common problem? Is there a 'recommended' solution? Or something else I should be considering?
Spongy floor joist
Oct 30, 2005
2 Replies
The joists are probably 4" x 2" - which need supporting every few feet on sleeper walls under the floor. Is there enough room to crawl around underneath? If so, look for places where more packing may be required - and make sure that all the joists are properly supported.
Otherwise, take up a few floorboards and investigate from above.
The joists *could* be rotten, or full of woodworm holes - but most likely it's just that the packing has moved or subsided over time. They tended not to put concrete rafts under the floors in the 30's - so the joist supports are probably just on soil.
I would concur with that...
A few bits of roofing slate would make ideal packers.
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