Floorboard problem.

[ritchiehtc]

Hi all.

I have a 1960 end terrace house.
Problem is this. When I moved in 2.5 years ago, all floorboards were fine, but then the landing started creaking. Next thing I know, all floorboards are creaking. Then the landing floorboards started to bow when stepped on, and now slowly the second bedroom have started to bow a little. Sometimes on the landing, you can hear the radiator or pipes creak too. Ceilings downstairs show no sign of damp.

My questions is this.
What are possible causes?
What should I replace them with? For ease I was thinking green coated chipboard with some sort of waterproof barrier sheet.

All help is appreciated

 

[JohnD]

Some possible causes:

I'd suspect that when you bought the house it was somewhat damp and now, with the help of central heating or repairs, it has dried out. This will have made the wood shrink, laterally, and warp a little. Alternatively you might be doing something to make the house excessively humid.

An alternative possibility is that somebody made alterations such as knocking out a wall without supporting the house properly, so it is succumbing to gravity.

Or maybe the flooring is chipboard, and it is cracking and sagging. Chipboard is a terrible material. Why do you mention moisture barrier?

If it is drying-out shrinking, and you plan to lift the boards, you could just re-fit them, wedged together. Screws are better than nails IMO. But what do you mean by "bow?" Do you mean they are cupping, curving up at the edges or in the middle? Or do you mean end to end, which is much more worrying?

Do you get condensation on the upstairs windows? Do you drape wet washing round the house? Does the creaking vary by season?

Post some photos of this movement in the floors.

edit
perhaps it is related to your previous thread. Post pics of the ceiling as well. It is sounding more like shoddy building alterations.

 

[big-all]

is it the actual floor ??
you dont have laminate flooring on top do you??

 

[ritchiehtc]

Hi,

Thanks for replies..

"But what do you mean by "bow?"" When I stand on the floorboards upstairs, the centre/in between joists of the board dips downwards about 1-2cm. It returns to normal place when no weight on the board. It's fine where the joists are. House was not damp when bought, and only slightly damper in bathroom since our extractor fan is not on, as looks like not fully fitted (extractor fan goes into loft, and not outside building. A bad thing?)

"Do you get condensation on the upstairs windows? Do you drape wet washing round the house? Does the creaking vary by season?" Yes, Yes and No!

"Post some photos of this movement in the floors". I will do a youtube video at some point and post link.

"perhaps it is related to your previous thread. Post pics of the ceiling as well". It has been confirmed that all downstairs ceiling need replacing. I will post pics. It may be age related or badly built. More Importantly I confirmed joists are structurally sound.

"is it the actual floor ??
you dont have laminate flooring on top do you??" Nope. It looks like standard chipboard flooring with regular carpet on top.

Other info.
Its a 2 bed house with 1 bathroom.

2nd bedroom has a slope to it. Maybe different thickness of boards causing this?

Previous owners fitted carpet in the Bathroom (why?). Not had the money to redo bathroom yet so the carpet still remains.

The floorboards on landing are nailed in well.




If I stop being lazy I would go for wickes timber T&G