Replacing Floor Joists And Subfloor

Homes with floor joists need a base to provide a surface on which to lay carpet ceramic tile hardwood laminate and or vinyl.

Replacing floor joists and subfloor. Moisture and pest infestation can damage subfloor. Make sure to get all of the damaged or moldy. See professionally prepared estimates for subfloor repair work. A subfloor provides stability and a level surface.

Replacing a floor joist is best left to a professional especially if the joists are not easily accessible from a basement or crawlspace as this means parts of the floor and subfloor must be removed to access each problematic joist. Homes built on a slab foundation may not require them as many types of flooring can lay directly on top of the concrete. Joists should be replaced if they also suffer the same damage from things such as wood eating insects floods leaks or foundation cracking. It is flexible it can be changed out it is inexpensive.

Then use pry bars and your reciprocating saw to pry and cut the floor joist away from the subfloor. Pry the floor joist from the subfloor with the back of your hammer. Mold in a subfloor can spread to floor joists so take a look down in the crawl space. Otherwise mold will spread back into your subflooring.

The cost to repair a subfloor starts at 36 89 56 75 per square foot but can vary significantly with site conditions and options. When you replace the subfloor the new ends have to sit on the joists so cut out your wet subfloor along two joists on either side of the damage. If you find signs of mold treat the entire area. If there are areas of dead mold still left on the subfloor try removing them with a hepa vacuum.

Start by cutting out a small 1 2 in 2 5 5 1 cm section of the floor joist with a reciprocating saw. This will create a weak spot. This method of laying a sturdy subfloor on top of joists and then topping the subfloor with a cosmetic only flooring top creates a tighter stronger structure. In addition to needing to replace the subfloor you may also need to replace floor joists.

Repairing a damaged subfloor is serious business but it doesn t have to be scary. Get fair costs for your specific project requirements. Layering makes it easier to change the visible floor if you tire of the look or if it has become damaged. Learn from ashlee cody as they diagnose their moisture issues fix thei.

Average costs and comments from costhelper s team of professional journalists and community of users. If only a few joists are rotted primarily at the bottom they can be repaired using a process known as sistering after the rot is cleaned away and the timber treated to prevent more problems a new joist is laid beside the old one and fastened to it. Clean up any remaining mold.