6 Common Causes of Uneven Floors
The next time you walk through your house, pay attention to the steps you take. How do they feel? Is your footing solid, or do you feel a little wobbly or bouncy?
An uneven floor is a common problem in many homes. While it might seem like a minor inconvenience, an unlevel floor often indicates foundation damage.
Discovering a problem like this in your home is the last thing you want, but it’s important to address it quickly to prevent further issues. Understanding what causes uneven floors is the first step toward long-term resolution. This page outlines six common causes of uneven floors and the repair methods to address them.
What Causes Uneven Floors?
Do uneven floors always mean foundation problems? Not necessarily, but the two are closely connected. Look for these six common causes of unlevel floors:
1. Structural Settling
Every home experiences foundation settling, regardless of how or when it was built. Settlement occurs as the ground and building materials shift slightly over time due to their placement.
It’s important to remember that settling is a normal process and doesn’t usually lead to significant problems. Even when it does, homeowners can resolve these issues by implementing foundation support and reinforcements.
2. Excess Water
Excess water around the foundation is another common cause of settling and uneven floors. Even if large water puddles aren’t present, this additional moisture can have significant consequences.
While water is essential to daily life, it can also be highly destructive. Prolonged exposure warps materials and weakens internal structures, preventing them from holding their original shape. When water freezes, it expands and can break surrounding materials with its force.
Professional foundation waterproofing methods protect your home’s interior and exterior, keeping it safe, dry, and healthy.
3. Aging Materials
Few building materials are designed to last forever, and even those with potential longevity must be used under ideal conditions. In older homes, materials can succumb to wear and tear, leading to unlevel floors. This damage often occurs in the floor joists or subfloor, which are susceptible to wood rot, mold, and insects. These areas also bear much of the home’s weight.
Inspect the area for moisture damage and general wear and tear if the floor feels uneven when walking over it. Professionals reinforce uneven floors and implement foundation repairs when necessary.
4. Ground Shifting
The ground beneath every building settles minimally over time. This settlement is typical and usually doesn’t cause problems. However, the soil beneath a structure can sometimes be unstable and shift, causing foundation movement. This shifting can result from soil erosion due to insufficient compaction during initial construction or natural causes. In some cases, entire soil areas become displaced, creating large holes and gaps.
This process doesn’t happen overnight, so early signs of damage, like uneven floors, help you catch it early and prevent further damage to your home’s structure.
5. Foundation Cracks
Floor cracks caused by foundation settlement are the most severe cause of uneven floors. Even minor cracks can create uneven areas that you’ll notice regardless of your flooring type. Hardwood or tile pieces may lift up or shift out of place, while other flooring materials may show similar signs of displacement.
An uneven floor is often the first sign that your home requires professional foundation repair. Addressing issues early saves time and money on foundation repair costs.
6. Poor Construction
Even the most beautiful homes can develop uneven floors due to poor initial construction and a lack of attention to detail. Home construction is complex, and without a highly skilled building team, crucial aspects may be overlooked, resulting in a compromised final product.
These issues may originate from the initial structural development phase. A flawed foundation can result from missed details or improper site preparation, affecting the entire home, including the floors.
Unsure what your floors are trying to tell you? You’re not alone; many homeowners experience the same issues, but you don’t have to face them on your own. Groundworks’ professionals have the tools and training to diagnose and repair unlevel floors.
What’s the Best Way to Fix Uneven Floors?
While we touched on a few uneven floor repair methods above, here’s a more comprehensive list professionals like Groundworks may implement for lasting structural stability:
Foundation Piers
Piering techniques, also known as underpinning, address foundation settlement from beneath the home. These piers (helical, push, or slab) are installed deep below the foundation until reaching stable soil. These solutions permanently stabilize and can help lift settling foundations, thus correcting uneven floors.
Crawl Space Jacks
If the issue is a sagging floor above a crawl space, crawl space jacks give floors and floor joists the support they need for lasting stability. Groundworks’ heavy-duty crawl space jacks are customized to fit your crawl space height and are adjustable for potential floor lifting and improvement.
Moisture Management
Structural supports easily succumb to excessive moisture. Preventative methods include moisture management with basement waterproofing or crawl space encapsulation solutions. Interior drains, sump pumps, vapor barriers, and dehumidifiers work together to remove moisture from your home and create a safe, healthy, and stable living environment.
Repairing and protecting your home from unlevel floors can be complex. Don’t settle for DIY quick fixes. Get lasting solutions you can trust from experienced professionals.
Get Professional Uneven Floor Repair Today!
If your floor feels uneven when walking over it, don’t panic, but don’t ignore it, either. Preventing foundation problems by promptly identifying uneven floors and other early warning signs helps you best care for your home.
When you discover issues, call Groundworks’ foundation repair professionals to assess the area, develop the best repair plan, and implement customized solutions. This way, you can feel confident and secure in your home, knowing it’s as safe and sturdy as possible.
Contact us today to schedule a free inspection!
Uneven Floor FAQs
You might find yourself asking whether uneven floors matter in the first place. Uneven floors are important to pay attention to because they often are more than cosmetic issues. Your uneven floors could indicate a serious foundation problem, such as failing support beams or foundation settlement, that you’ll be able to tackle early on. When it comes to sunken floors, contact an expert to assess underlying issues.
Understanding if your home has a foundation problem is the first step to repair. Here are some of the most common problem signs to look out for:
- Cracks in the walls, floors, or ceilings: These may appear diagonal, horizontal, or vertical.
- Doors or windows that stick or don’t close properly: This may indicate that the foundation has shifted.
- Uneven or sloping floors: This can be a sign that the foundation has settled.
- Gaps around doors or windows: This can be a sign that the foundation has shifted.
- Cracks in the foundation itself: If you can see cracks in the foundation, it’s a clear sign of a problem.
Ignoring foundation problems can have severe consequences for your home and your wallet. Foundation issues typically worsen over time, leading to increased repair costs and potentially causing additional costly secondary repairs. Plus, ignoring foundation problems can lower your home’s resale value and make it more challenging to sell.
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