Over the life of your home, your floors may move, sag, or start to form worrisome bumps. In most cases, these will be simple manifestations related to the age of your home and the life going on in it. However, crotched floors can also be a sign of a problem with your home’s foundation. Much more pernicious, the appearance of this type of defect can lead to particularly expensive repairs if you don’t want to see your home lose its value.
Spotting Hooked Floor Problems
There are several very simple methods to detect problems with swelling or sagging of your floors.
Use a marble:
Take a marble and place it in various places on your floor. Moving it will give you a lot of information about the direction and importance of the slopes. The faster the ball moves, the steeper the slope.
Use a level:
In the same vein, laying a level at various points on your floor will allow you to determine the slope of the slopes more accurately. On the other hand, it is generally less accurate than a ball to determine an exact direction.
Look at your door and window trims:
Looking at your windows and doors for a crooked floor may seem strange, however, these architectural elements give you very useful information about the health of your floors.
Indeed, if the mouldings are deformed, or if your doors and windows have trouble closing, it is probably related to a shift in your floors.
Warped floors: signs of a foundation problem
If your floors have one or more of these problems, it may be a good idea to call a specialist who will be able to inspect your foundation and determine with certainty if the root of your problem comes from it.
In fact, in most cases, the displacement of the floors and walls of the house is the direct result of an expansion or contraction of the foundations. With humidity and heat, the concrete slab of which they are composed deforms, sometimes even to the point of cracking.
To make sure it’s a foundation problem, you can go to your basement and see if there are any visible breaks. You can also rely on the smell. If you don’t see any cracks, but your basement has a strong smell of mold, it’s probably because you’re dealing with water infiltration that contributes to the displacement of your foundation and therefore your floors.
Conclusion
If you notice that you are dealing with a crook floor, it is possible that you are the victim of a more serious foundation problem. Start by making sure that your floors have one of the problems listed above before looking at the condition of your foundation for elements that do not deceive (cracks, mold, etc.).
Fissure Expert offers crack analysis and repair services within foundations. Don’t hesitate to contact us, a member of our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you keep your home healthy.
Need a Crack Repair Expert?
If you notice cracks on your foundation, it is important to act quickly. Fissure Expert offers professional foundation crack injection services throughout Quebec. Call a certified foundation crack contractor for a free estimate. We serve Trois-Rivières, Longueuil, Gatineau and many other cities.