A sloping floor can be a deal-breaker for some people when buying a new house. However, in reality, a slanted floor is sometimes acceptable to some extent. Now, this raises the question of how much floor slope is acceptable. Let’s take a look and find out.
How much floor slope is acceptable?
Floor slopes are not an uncommon problem, especially if the house is 15 to 20 years old. According to NAHB, if the floor slopes 0.5-inch for a distance of 20 feet, it is acceptable. Furthermore, some experts say that a 1.5-inch slope is acceptable for 20-feet.
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Whether you are buying a new home or building one, there are many flaws that people sometimes ignore. However, some flaws are too severe to ignore.
Sloping floors lie in between such flaws, which can sometimes be ignored, while sometimes it is a major deal-breaker. Now the question is how much slope in floors is acceptable.
In general, if the floor is one or half-inch slanted for a distance of 20-feet, it is entirely acceptable. According to the National Association of Home Builders, a 0.5-inch sloped floor over a distance of 20 feet can be acceptable.
If your floor is more slanted than 0.5-inch for 20 feet, it is a bit concerning, and you should look to fix it because too much sloping floor can be a sign of structural defect in your house.
Is it normal for floors to be uneven?
Floors should be even and not slanted. Sloping floors are the cause of faulty construction or foundation issues. The flooring used in the house can even rot and cause the floors to slope.
It is not normal for floors to be uneven. In that case, the furniture and stuff of the house will not stay in their place and cause problems. Moreover, it can cause accidents as well.
Floors should be even for proper balance while you walk in it and keep everything in the room in its place.
A slightly uneven floor is acceptable in the bathrooms. But that too is done so that water does not clog at corners of it.
Other than this, you should make sure that your floor is even and free of errors. Take precautions so that air or water cannot enter inside the bathroom floors and deteriorate them.
Should I worry about sloping floors?
The extent of the slope of the floors has to be kept in mind while checking them. Old houses might have some uneven floors due to rotten wooden floors or dirt and air inside them.
Sloping floors can cause a lot of trouble. You can trip over or fall while walking on an uneven floor if you are unaware of it. Moreover, the furniture can also move out of its place. They can lean.
Heavy objects kept upon furniture can fall and cause accidents if your floors are slopped.
You have to be careful while flooring your house and check the foundation of the ground. A thorough check on the quality of the ground before selecting the flooring for your house goes a long way. It will also save you from repair costs in the future.
Why would a floor slope?
Sloping floors is the problem when the floor of a house is not flat. This problem is quite common, especially among old houses. When looking for solutions to this problem, people usually encounter several issues. These are the causes behind sloping floors.
Settling of Houses:
This is one of the main problems of sloping floors. Houses over time tend to sink as the ground below the foundation moves naturally over time.
Due to this natural cause, sometimes the entire house slants a bit, causing sloping floors.
Water leakage Damage:
Due to water leakage, sometimes the wooden joists and support beam below the floor cracks up or rot with time. It even sometimes damage the foundation of the house. As a result, the floor slopes.
Faulty foundations:
Sometimes, due to poor construction, job foundations remain defective, resulting in the house slanting, due to the slanting of the house, the floor slopes.
When should you worry about a floor slope?
Floors should not be uneven in their structure. They should be level and sturdy.
Sloping floors are faulty floors. But some old houses have uneven floors. Often the construction faults can cause uneven floors as well.
Floors can become sloppy and become the topic of your concern if specks of dirt and water make them soggy and uneven.
You have to worry if your floors are one or half-inch slanted in 20 feet. And if this number is 2 or 3 inches, then the concerns are more.
Cause this much deviation in the level of the floors can cause serious problems. If you are using wooden floors, they can worsen and sag due to clogged water. Moreover, tiles and other flooring have their backlashes as well.
The foundation of the ground and the quality of the flooring inspection is necessary. Else you have to worry afterward.
Can sloping floors be fixed?
As a prevalent problem, sloping floors have various fixes. However, these fixes mainly depend on the cause of the floor slope. Another important fact is that the fixes that are available for sloping floors are pretty expensive.
There are different ways to fix a sloping floor. You can use the Polyfoam injection method to pump a polyurethane grout under the floor slab to level the floor. You can also resort to foundation replacement and reinforcement, which is a more effective method.
Another method you can follow to fix sloping floors is installing a screw jack. If there is any issue in the crawling space beam under your floor, install screw jacks. It will solve your sloping floor problem.
How do you deal with a sloping floor?
Based on the cause behind the slope of your floor, you can deal with it in several ways. One such way is to readjust the foundation below the floor. This process might seem a bit tough, but this will get you the best results.
Find out the root cause:
The first step is to find out the root cause behind the slope of your floor. Carefully check every corner of your floor and the joists below it. If necessary, take the help of professionals.
Damaged foundation:
If the foundation of the floors is damaged, they will need extra support or replacement. It will, however, be a costly fix.
Jack up the entire house:
If the floor is sloping due to a crawling space beam, jack up the entire house and put new footers. Jacking up the house may take several days to weeks.
Remove the jack:
Once the footers are in their position, carefully remove the jack and let the house re-level.
How do you calculate the slope of a floor?
Slopped floors are a common issue in many houses. This occurrence is more common among old houses. However, as long as the slop is not too much to handle, it can be fixed, or you can even simply neglect them.
The best way to calculate the slope of your floor is to use a measuring level and tape measure. In the case of the measuring level, the longer it is, the better it will help calculate the slope of your floor.
Place the level on one side of your floor. Now you will see a higher-end and a lower end of the level. Rise the lower end until the level is horizontal with the floor. Now take the measuring tape and take the length of the rise.
The length of the level will be the run. Now divide the rise by run, and the result you will get will be the slope of the floor. While calculating, make sure all the measurements are in the same unit.
How much does it cost to fix a sloping floor?
Fixing slanted or sloping floors is a costly process. It requires heavy lifting gears as well as high-cost materials. On top of that, the service charge for these jobs is also expensive.
On average, fixing sloping floors can cost anywhere between $1000 to $10000. The labor cost alone is around $75 to &150 per hour. In addition to that, the extent of the damage and the materials you will need determine the project’s total cost.
However, if your floor is slanted and you are planning to get it repaired, you can start with a budget of $5000.
In terms of the material cost, materials such as slab jacking cost about $2000 each. Furthermore, the price of piers ranges from $1600 to $2400.
Final thoughts:
Sloping floors can be accepted to a certain extent. However, if the slope is too much, then this might be a concerning factor. According to national standards, you can ignore a sloping floor if it is 0.5-inches or less slanted. But if it is more slanted than that, then you may start fixing it.