Should a floor be corrected with shims?
Sagging floors are a common problem that has many potential causes. While a sagging floor can be a sign of serious structural problems, most can be repaired relatively inexpensively. If furniture leans away from the wall, or round objects roll toward the center of the room, there is likely a problem that can be fixed with structural supports installed in the driveway of the house.
Unfortunately, many homeowners think they can stop floors creaking and sagging by inserting wooden shims between the floor joists and the walls. A wedge is a type of floor support that is inserted into a gap to provide support and alignment. However, shims are not a permanent solution. They are likely to be made from some scrap wood pieces found in the garage or workshop and therefore are not tailored to the measurements of the structure that needs support. Also, the leggings are made of wood. This means that, in general, they are not strong enough to provide permanent support to a floor structure. Also, leggings are not completely safe. They are pushed and huddled in a confined space in the hopes that they will help provide support. If they’re not permanently secured in place, floors aren’t either.
If a home has sagging and creaking floors, it probably means that the spans between the house’s floor joists are too far apart for the floor to adequately support the weight of the room above it. Adjustable crawl space support posts are a better solution to this problem than shims. This plan employs a temporary floor jack to gradually raise the middle of the floor and then secure it there with steel beams or sister beams. Crawling space support posts are permanent concrete bases that serve as the foundation for industrial support posts. These posts are fully adjustable so the amount of lift and support is fully customizable and can help raise the floors of a home to their original level.
Additionally, metal beams supported by adjustable steel posts are an easy and cost-effective solution in a crawl space. After installation, the system can be properly tightened and adjusted to secure, support, and sometimes help lift the floor overhead. These support posts work by transferring a house’s load from the original weak or overloaded rafters. Steel is often the first and best choice because steel is more durable and stronger, cleaner, and faster to install than concrete beams.
The amount of lift and support is fully customizable and the solution is permanent.
