String Level New Floor Joists

Leveling the floor with shims is when you attach thin wedge shaped pieces of wood on top of the low areas of the joists to make the top joists even.

String level new floor joists.

There is always the possibility in older properties that your floor joists have dropped at one end because the timber has become rotten and compressed. In some cases we will sink the subfloor between the joists on plywood ledges and on the other end of the room the sistered joist can raise it up to the desired level. Tack a beam under the sagging joists. Set the joist in with s 3 4 block sitting on top and raise until the block touches the string and drive a screw right below the string remove block and set go set the other end the same way.

Secure the new joists to the old by shooting 2 1 2 inch wood screws through the sides of the new ones and into the old ones. If you have an uneven floor you may need to think about leveling floor joists with shims. The new sister joist is cut to the same length or slightly shorter as the old joist and is inserted into the joist cavity and snugged up against the old joist. If the floor is sagging the damaged joist and or a few neighboring joists may need to be jacked up slightly to straighten or raise the floor so the sister joist can be put into place.

Just hammer a nail into the floor by the side of the room you want to be level then run the string out to the far end with the string level attached. The string line would be fixed in position x in the diagram below. Affix aluminum or wood joists alongside each of the existing joists with the new joists hanging lower than the original ones. Nailing two 2x4s together will work to span about three joists unless the sag is under a weight bearing wall.

Then a string line can be fixed to the top of these two new joists giving you the level for the joists in between. This job can run you 1 000 and 5 000 depending on the extent of the job. Tie a string across the top of level 3 4 above the highest joist. Then set new joists same height as existing ones alongside the old.

Set a hydraulic jack and post under the beam and jack up the joists about 1 8 in. Use floor glue it will stick. Make the bottom edge of each of the new joists even with the strings all the way across. Lay a new 3 4 plywood subfloor and bob s your uncle.

Even though we use 1 pt lumber the joists are often slightly warped or vary in depth at times causing adjacent joists to differ in height by as much as 1 2 inch or more. If you have help this can be accomplished by laying the level on the beam and adjusting until its level. A day until they re level. You will have a level sound surface to lay your new floor on.