How To Replace Basement Floor Joists

Use a tape measure to measure the length width and height of your existing floor joist.

How to replace basement floor joists.

The fire burned through a section of one of the floor joists and the homeowners wanted to replace it without tearing up the finished wood floor and subfloor above. Position a 2x4 post and hydraulic jack directly beneath the cracked end of the. Lag screws if you re having trouble nailing. If your floor joist is an i joist for example buy an i joist.

Predrill and drive 3 8 in. Squeeze a generous amount of carpenter s glue into the crack in the floor joist. I suppose somewhere in the world there are floor joists that need to be repaired that have wide open clear joist bays with no pipes wires or obstructions. Find a new floor joist with these exact same dimensions.

Driving 16d common nails in old hard wood is difficult. When the sagging joists are level apply a generous bead of construction adhesive to the existing joist. But sometimes you have to cut out an old floor joist and put in a new one. But if there s limited access to the joists it may be necessary to work from above removing the flooring and subflooring to repair or replace any damaged floor joists.

Make sure you also buy the same type of joist. Slip an old work metal joist hanger onto the end of the joist. I recently had to repair a floor joist that had cracked. Then attach the sister joist using three 16d common nails driven every 16 in.

In this video this old house general contractor tom silva helps a homeowner repair a cracked floor joist. 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. Typically floor joists are repaired or replaced working from below in a basement or crawl space. While it is a good idea to replace rotted material with 2x8s it may require some notching to fit between the sub floor and ledger board.

Such is the case with this house after a small electrical fire. Insulate basement rim joists.