How to Repair a Cracked Floor Joist | Ask This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 1 янв 2016
- This Old House general contractor Tom Silva helps a homeowner repair a cracked floor joist.
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Shopping List for Repairing a Cracked Floor Joist:
- Carpenter's glue, used to mend cracked joist
- Old-work joist hanger with hanger nails, used to support end of joist
- Cloth, for wiping off excess glue
- 1x3s, used to make cross-bridging
- 2x lumber same size as floor joist, used to make solid blocking
- 3/4-inch plywood, used to reinforce a notched joist
- Nails and construction adhesive, for securing the plywood strip
Tools List for Repairing a Cracked Floor Joist:
- Hydraulic jack and 2x4 post, used to jack up the cracked floor joist
- Hammer
- Caulk gun, for applying construction adhesive
Steps for Repairing a Cracked Floor Joist:
1. Squeeze a generous amount of carpenter's glue into the crack in the floor joist.
2. Slip an old-work metal joist hanger onto the end of the joist.[BR]
3. Position a 2x4 post and hydraulic jack directly beneath the cracked end of the joist.
4. Pump up the jack until the post pushes closed the crack in the joist.
5. Fasten the hanger to the beam with hanger nails.
6. Use a cloth to wipe off any excess glue from the joist.
7. Install cross-bridging or solid blocking between joists to help stiffen the floor.
8. When notching a joist, all notches should fall within the first or last third of the joist. Never cut a notch into the center third of a joist.
9. The depth of the notch shouldn't be more than one-sixth the height of the joist.
10. The length of the notch shouldn't be more than one-third the height of the joist.
11. Notches should be cut straight and clean with radiused corners.
12. Reinforce a notched joist by attaching a 3/4-inch plywood strip.
13. Cut the plywood strip at least as wide as the joist and secure it with construction adhesive and nails.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Repair a Cracked Floor Joist | Ask This Old House
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I used to watch these as a kid. I now have a 100 year old house and I remember bits and do searches to find out how to fix something in an old house.
This Old House is the best program in the history of television.
I love Tom's enthusiasm for his craft he's a legend in the carpentry field, along with Norm Abraham's. I've been watching these guy's since i was an apprentice 40 years ago..
This is a great book with a lot of good construction tips The sheds featured in this book are probably built better than most peoples' homes. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxzaRUJNcbypw-fRBDbqqz43ULIa-1EGP- The author uses only the best materials and methods. It proved to be a great resource for my little 8' x 10' shed project and more 400+ plans. If you are turned off by the flimsy tin and home center kit sheds; if you want a shed that has some character and can be used as an extension of your home; then this book is for you.
Her joists look good!
I wish my home inspector did as good a job of identifying issues when I bought my old house.
Third house inspectors are about 3rd on my list of evil professions below car salesman and movers (some exceptions). Someone needs to compile a checklist of things home inspector should do, you could ask them to sign off on it and provide pictures, could give you an excellent evidence for a court case.
Yeah not a lot of home inspectors get the training that they need. And often times not enough experiences from people who’ve done this a long time that passes valuable info like this. Sad but true.
Most of them suck, I buy houses for a living and have met ONE (and his cousin) who actually have construction experience
This is so excellent no bells and whistles just real info.
Came for the info, stayed for the thicc...
what I like about tom that he explains thing with a lot of calm, so very understandable
legends say that the roll of tape is still rolling
Hahahahahaha
Oh man thats just great
Good one!
Just rolled past my house earlier
Picture me rollin'
Tom Silva is awesome...he is a straight bad ass he knows everything love learning new things from him everytime I watch...keep up the good work Tom ur awesome...
Joe Kinchicken (number of women x 0)= number of women “paid in kind”
@@jimarmstrong1458 - Wrong. You need to take the number of women, divide by half, and then add two. Class dismissed.
@@jimarmstrong1458 Correct. Zero is the number of women being paid in kind, but the number of women paying in kind, I think that was the question he was asking.
I wish I could download Tommy's brain with all his wealth of knowledge on carpentry and construction.
This is a really great video with awesome explanations and visuals.
2:44 Got her feeling self conscious.
I like how as Kevin is talking about structure being removed due to ductwork and insulation, Roger just naturally motions towards Richard, as subtlety as he could...
"1st thing I want to do is put some glue in that crack" you old romantic
Steve I mean he is joist saying
I like the videos learning from this old house gives me the u
Ultimate confidence...thanx
"then I'll push that crack back together"
😂
I think he said "goo" not "glue".
Was visiting a friends old house in a college town for a party years ago, and noticed the floor was moving over an inch when things got crazy.
Thanks to This Old House, my first instinct was to check the joists in the basement. Sure enough, the floor joist underneath the party zone had a massive crack.
Took awhile for me to explain to the owners the danger of this and to convince them to let me fix it, but I never would’ve known anything was wrong if it hadn’t been for this show.
Thanks for the help Tom, informative as ever!
as an old carpenter and retired Count structural Inspector, Love this stuff and rarely miss their show on PBS
Only this old house, only guy thats not an idiot. This guy, sharp as tacs
She's got a nice basement ;)
Nice crack in it too
Im an electrician have cut thru many joists - i knew the center third rule ( being off limits) but not the others - very informative good job
I just wish they would've brought up drilling holes, and their sizing and positioning. A lot of budding sparkys could've benefitted from that info.
Actually, best place to drill is in the center of the beam (vertically). The material in the center of the beam (joist or otherwise) is doing almost nothing to strengthen. The worst place to cut is the bottom edge.
I hate you electricians. Drilling. Cutting...... And then there was this tile guy who tried to tell me "joist" was only used for roof supports and of course it was FINE for him to cut through 1/2 of my joist to install a BATHTUB. In fact 2 "professions" wanted to do this cuz....the could. BUT my Daddy taught me somethings. Thank God my brother was free to save me from these idiots.
@@sunoveristambul
That tells me to make sure there is an automatic termination clause in the contract that terminates the contract immediately should the contractor make such incompetent statements.
It also tells you that the contractor in question could not have passed the state licensing exam which would or should have questions regarding structural support in them.
Maybe should also have a two or three stage process that will weed these clowns out.
@@petemiller519 so what your saying is to not cut holes out from the bottom but to drill holes from the middle of the joist because of the tensile strenthe. but you said the hole cannot exceed 1/4 of the depth of the joist, but what if you want to run a pipe larger then 1/4 through the joist. will you need to drill a bigger hole?
He takes the distance, divides it in half, adds two, multiplies that my 100, and that's your bill!
😂😂😂 good one sir👍
Lol🙊
Jajaja
Lmao
LMAO
These guys really know their stuff!! I always learn something from this show!
She sounds like the best version of a typical homeowner
I could watch this guy all day....I love learning from the pro's!
Thank you so much for this video. My old house has a jungle of pipes and wires and ducts going through it, and the first floor joists are in terrible shape for it. I really appreciate the patches and repairs that I can undertake myself to make sure that the floor is stiffer and more supportive when my little ones jump and jostle.
that is one beautiful brick house!
Yes, that is a nice brick house. I’d love to take a tour.
@@travisd8069 I'd never tire of bouncing on that joist
Tom. You're the master. Live well forever.
You guys are great! Thank you so much for the many years of help. Your experience and tips are invaluable! Thanks!
Would of loved to had some one teaching me this stuff when I was young.
Yes I know you can learn at any age but trying to learn at 55 and support my self learning a new trade not so easy.
I understand. A mistake can be costly.
You Guy's are the best , and the little explanation of what you did to repair your fixes are very informative , I watch you guy's all the time and believe your methods 100%, keep them coming.
Toms skill is a gift from God. Thank you for sharing it with us.
7:32 our old house my father built it (even though he was not a carpenter) in the early 70s used solid block bridging. Everytime I dream of my childhood, I always dream of that house.
Your father knew what was up, I only use solid block
Good job dad! My father built a second story on our country house, my brother measured a corner to corner found out it was a parallelogram. He just winged it.
"I'm not getting it." Okay go back upstairs I'll send you an invoice.
*bill increases by 50%*
You take the original bill divide it by half and then multiply by 2 then add it to the sub total after tax
Excellent customer relations! You go to the head of the class. On second thought, just go to the head.
I mean for the sake of the video, couldn't she just say "OK"?
@@AlessioSangalliI think she said what she did for the sake of the video
Omg thank goodness for you guys ,just watched 2 of your videos on this and seriously helps me in how to fix our issues in our basement since our house is built in 1915 .
You are amazing demonstrator and a perfect problem solver.
What a lovely, full-figured brunette!! Oh ya, the repair was interesting too!
Thanks for videos like this, I've learned a TON!
Tom is the BOSS! always learn tons from him!
Tommy is always a joy to learn from
What a great channel, love the energy. Great job Guys, reminds me old TV shows.
Energy like the weird guy on happy Gilmore?
Quality content and advice. Thanks guys!
Thank you guys for all the great information on every single video.
You are the best !
Fabulous, gentlemen. Absolutely fabulous.
We love you richard! You're such a good sport! Tom, what do i need to do to become like you!????
Answer is at 4:00
The rest is thicc knowledge
Cannot stop watching these videos, I am leaning so much! Thank you!
You'll lean less if you stop drinking.
Whole lot of really good information in one short video.. well done.
"Okay I don't get it!"
That's literally me 😂😂
Do you need some help tepigfan
You were in there video?
To be fair, Tom omitted the conversion from feet to inches. The way he first said it, the joist would have been 9 ft wide.
Honestly I didn't get it the first time either. Like it makes perfect sense if you are a freakin construction god like Silva but for the first time hearing it I was a lil confused 😅
Nice job. I would also put plywood gussets on either side of the crack for extra strength.
+iShootBandits same here.
Agreed!
What is a gusset ?
Since the bracket, and also the bottom half of the joist, is only supporting a very small part of the load, additional shoring seems pretty unnecessary. Not to say overkill isn't always great, but in this case it does seem like it would not add any value.
@@pbristow over kill always Best
Some great tips especially about the bridging strengthen the joists
Tom make it look so simple and easy access does help.
I'd leave a jacked up until the glue dried
I would find the dip, put up the jack and 2x4 and leave In place forever
I'm in construction and have to deal with people that aren't, almost on a daily basis. I probably wouldn't be explaining the problem unless asked, this is an educational video so explaining is the purpose of it. The reason she didn't understand is that he started a sentence talking about feet and then didn't mention that he was talking about inches by the end of the same sentence. Second time round she got it, it's likely we all have knowledge that the next person doesn't have, especially if they're not in the industry. I speak to sparks (electricians) all the time and I can only guess installations to get the ball rolling. They know I'm not a spark and compensate for that, in the same way they might not understand non-electrical building work, and I compensate for that too. No matter how daft a question or lack of understanding is, it's important to appreciate the persons background. At least she admitted she didn't understand, which is better than many people that just nod and carry on without having learnt something. Keep up the good work!
That's a great attitude
Good information, explains our springing floors in OUR old house.
I think I am addicted to this channel.
Next time on “This Old PAWG” 😆
Preach
Boa I had to check the comments to see if I was the only one who noticed
She is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal.
I'm not the only one😀
:||||
Those appliances & people have a lot more heft compared to 100 years ago, thus floor stress is way up.
When you say "Appliances and people" you mean her...
@@243wayne1 Further on that:
At 1:00
1) - HIM - Your sill is a 6 by 6 and your joists are let into that sill."
2) - HER: - (breathless) Aukay...
3) - She lost him at 1). ;)
Tell that to me the next time you haul an old wood stove ;)
If i could spend a week apprenticeing with these guys
Meghan is everyone of us who are oblivious to framing but want to learn. Thank you for asking the questions the rest of us are too embarrassed to ask.
Searches for the problem. "Ah! I found it." Just so happens there's notched boards right beside me to explain everything. Wow! How unpredictable was that!
Now your still gonna have that MASSIVE DIP in your floor but at least the crack in the joist you didn't know about won't bother you any more!
I had the same thought. The issue they wanted fixed was the dip not the unknown cracked floor joist but that was probably outside the This Old House budget.
The structure was fixed for a song.
The problem is that once something like wood has settled and creeped into a deflected state, there isn't any realistic option to get that creep back out. You aren't going to just jack the deflected spot and straighten it back out. You probably have to just put new joists up and jack them into a position that lifts the sub-floor back up after you have cut it free from the screwed up spots. I've done the structural design on several house remodels. Sometimes we can get sticking doors on the second floor to stop sticking and windows to open better, but a lot of times, the framing just isn't oriented in a way that you are able to do much about it without more major tear down and rebuild. Sometimes the issue is the sill plate has crushed under an overloaded column and you really aren't fixing that without some removing and rebuilding. A lot of times, you can make it perfectly safe and you stop any more deflection from occurring, but people are just going to have to reset doors and windows and retrim things. You can always redo you floor with shimming under it to get it as level as possible, once you've stopped it from any more movement. There's a reason why the phrase cut to fit and paint to match exists.
I have built homes and completed renovations but this is the first time I saw bridging. I used the solid blocking myself. Nice
One of the best episodes I've seen. Rock on!
I like how the thumbnail for this is a bottle of glue.
Jack up the sagging area(s) with lally column(s) as needed to level the floor over 6 - 8 -12 months or so. When the floor is level, sister the joists on each with 1/8 or 3/16 steel cut to the width of the joists over the length of the run. Be sure to butt the steel up to the floor above. Through bolt the steel on the ends and on a staggered basis every 12 - 16 inches or so (You might consider stainless steel bolts.). That floor simply will not sag again. Did this with a long unsupported run in a shed with a 4 inch sag in the floor. Now I park the car on the floor...
@Farmer1234 Thank you very much for posting! I am experiencing a 3/4" sag in the livingroom of my house which was built in 1928. I hope to try your method to correct/improve this. I have started slowly jacking up a couple of my problem 2x8" floor joists with the temporary lally Columns. Do you have any pictures of exactly how you sistered in the steel? I believe I understand but I want to get this right. Thank you for your time.
@@dcvino Glad to be of help. Just take your time adjusting the lally columns. Use something like a 12 - 18 inch long 2X12 as a foot plate to spread the load on the floor and take your time leveling the structure to avoid stressing the building or cracking wallboard. You may also consider using 90 degree angle iron as a sister rib, depending on the particular situation.
@@dcvino Sadly, no the job was done at the country house a distance away from here. Basically, you sandwich the joist(s) with the sheet steel and hold it in place with Lag screws or bolts. If space permits, C clamps drawn up tightly will hold the sheet metal on either side of the joists. If you wish, when the steel is in place, you can through drill through the first sheet, the joist, and the second sheet to use bolts. Washers and a lock washer will keep the bolts drawn up tight. Hex head bolts are best as you can use two wrenches for maximum tightness.
@@Farmer-bh3cg Thank you again! I feel much more confident now that I have added the 18" long 2"x12" bases as foot plates for my temporary lally columns and I will be proceeding slowly with the raising of my sagging floors. My neighbor tells me that we have a great metal shop in our area that will custom cut stock to length for the general public and will also drill holes in the steel where required. I will be asking them if angle stock is an option for the size/length I need. My floor joist are (actual 1.5" x just over 7 1/4") 2x8's x approximately 11.5' long. I am planning on through bolting with hardened hex head bolts and over-sized washers.Appreciate your time!
@Steve A local machine shop should be able to help you or direct you to a metal seller. A length of strap iron will give one dimensional strength while 90 degree Channel iron is stable in two dimensions; both are very strong for the weight. If steel doesn't work for your application, consider an engineered beam. These are basically very thick plywood beams in a variety of lengths, thicknesses and widths. These can be sistered over the cut joist and would also work well. Hope this helps!
Nicely done, Tom.
Excellent video as always! Thank you!
Like Tommy has never nailed or screwed into a pipe causing Richard to have to replumb
phxtonash everyone makes mistakes, Tommy didn't get where he is today by never once messing up.
phxtonashk
Lol Phxto just what I was thinking
That is why they have to put metal straps on the studs where the plumbing is, though you can hit plumbing once in a while. The drywall guys are probably subcontractors.
Plumbers know only three things: Poop runs downhill, payday is on Friday, NEVER scratch your nose!
Good job on showing the repair, however if the floor has sagged to a certain extent, the one thing he missed is that the flooring you put in can or will buckle, had to replace the flooring in my laundry room due to the re leveling of the floor. Be aware of this as you may end up replacing that flooring due to re leveling. It will also depend on the type of flooring in place.
Not sure why, but the montage of him looking for problems is so epic
This is an extremely great channel. Enjoy seeing the information and content.
I know I have. That’s payback plumbers are notorious for cutting the important framing
I would add: If you need a hole to run piping through, or conduit, it's better to do that at the center depth of the joist (center the hole about 4.5" down from the top in a 2x10 joist). This has the smallest effect on the joist's moment of interia (stiffness) and section modulus (strength). Removing material at the top or bottom of a joist has a much larger effect. Drilling a nice round hole in the center works really well from a structural standpoint and seems easier than cutting a rectangular notch. This can be done anywhere along the joist span and I wouldn't lose bat an eye, as long as it's close the center. I'd limit the hole diameter to about 1/4 the joist depth.
Wish my electricians and plumbers got the memo. These people are terrible.
Super great episode! Wealth of important knowledge. Thank you
wow easy fix,nice tommy
I'd go ahead an put a hanger on all the other joists as well.
all the other joists seem to have lasted 100+ years you wanna pay his hourly wage to install 100 of those
There are appropriate sized nails for all joist hanger applications. However, the length of the nail used in a hanger is generally not the determining strength factor. The nails in a hanger are subjected more to shear or cutting than they are to withdrawal or pulling out. So what really matters is the cross section or thickness of the nail and not the length. There are shorter nails that can be used with hangers that don't degrade the load carrying ability of the hanger, you just have to buy the right ones. There are also screws available that can be used with hangers, but they must be the ones specified by the hanger manufacturer. The general statement that "hanger" nails are no good is incorrect. Using the correct product is always the best option.
"The general statement that 'hanger' nails are no good,is incorrect."
I guess it's a good thing nobody made that statement.
Not sure why you bring this up. Nobody was talking about nail length. He said avoid drywall screws to sister joists, that's all (I would hope most serious DIYer knew that).
This is seriously fantastic
Tommy nailed it again 😜
"Just jack it up". When I try to fix things, that is usually what happens to me, I jack it up!
When you look at some of the atrocities committed against floor joist, it's easy to tell what craft did it because you will have a PIPE going through an oversized giant notch!
Very true about the drywall screws. Brittle. wood expands and contracts. Nails are more forgiving and will not just break.
Awesome video very simple to understand
She look like she got into the krabby patty vault🤨
She thicckkk 😍
So you can still screw it, just get the right screws.
Watching this at 4 am
Super informative. Thank you 🙏
Cutting out a sharp corner introduces high stresses (under load) into a beam, etc. Radiusing the corner greatly reduces the peak stress and spreads it out.
About 1967 or so Ford racing engines had a high failure rate due to that very thing. When machining a bearing journal or something that had two perpendicular faces, they used a sharp tool to cut into the corner. High RPM, etc caused several failures, before they learned another way to do things.
They ended up using a slight radius on the cutting tool, something like 1/16" radius. Bingo. No more broken crankshafts.
Exactly. Radiusing crankshaft fillets is standard procedure for increasing crank strength.
Great story
2:59 "😱 ughh okay" lmaooo
Sounded like Tommy had her getting scared as hell
Always learning from you guys. Thanks
Tom Silva, the man
The bridging is under compression as described, not tension.
Technically both. The "downs" undergo compression, the "ups" are in tension.
@@VideoNOLA Cross-bridging as shown cannot hold a tensile load. Nails do not work well in shear. Only the members pointing down from the joist in question will transfer the load by compression. Just saying.
Tommy said there would still be a pitch! Why wouldn't the floor level up if the joists is fixed?
'cause the whole house has settled over 100 yrs in part because all of those joists were notched. Also foundation cracks, settling, deterioration, expansion and contraction from freeze thaw cycles, earth quakes, soil compaction or lack of , underground water, flooding, poor drainage etc. yada yada.
I have a 1930 house and have a crack in the middle of the joist under my bathtub that I need to work on.
Plywood attached like Tommy showed is the answer, glued and nailed after propping up.
Cheers
Great, informative video for us non-framing carpenter type trades. (I'm a sparktrician)
0:35 Interesting
Hey I found the problem..
oh look, a pile of specifically cut lumber for visual aids to explain it.
These guy has to be the most knowledgeable instructor in the world meaning the Michael Jordan of the home improvement league being watching these old house since 1992 I was like 15 or 16 watching there program
Hey learned something with my morning coffee, doesn’t get any better than that!