Sloping Second Floor

Sometimes you may notice sloping only on the second story of the structure.

Sloping second floor. 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. Slightly sloping floors which are common in older houses often worry homeowners who want to install new rigid floorings such as laminate ceramic tile or hardwood. This can also occur if the builder only used nails to fasten the joists to the studs. 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.

In some cases the slope is caused or aggravated by similar deflection in the girder main bearing beam that supports one end of the joist sets but even this scenario there is usually not a problem that needs. Basically they are saying if a floor is sloping over a 1 2 to 1 inch in twenty feet then there is concern. Common reasons for sloping or sagging second story floors. Aci 117 90 standard specifications for tolerances for concrete construction and materials gives a level alignment tolerance of 3 4 inch for top of slab elevation of slabs on grade.

Nearly all will say that if a floor slopes 1 and 1 2 inches in twenty feet or more that there should be further investigation. Leveling a floor can be. Other causes can include improper placement of supports undersized. If a load bearing wall is removed on the first floor then the second story floor joist or trusses may drop down in the area where the load bearing wall was removed.

Load bearing wall removed or altered on first floor. For rooms that have a general slope the issue may be foundation problems that require the assistance of a foundation repair company or a general contractor. This is usually caused by damage to the beams or joists holding up the second floor. 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.

If the slab elevation at the trench. Sloping floors are most often caused by normal and acceptable deflection bend in the wood joists which comprise the floor structure. Except for that slope the floor itself might be flat. A 2 slope will probably ensure better drainage we could also find no slope tolerance for use when a floor slope is specified.

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.