Hey everyone, I hope I'm explaining this correctly since I don't have much construction knowledge. We built our new home in 2020, and we've always noticed the kitchen floor feels bouncy. When someone walks around the island, a vase of water shakes, and you can feel the movement if you're sitting there. The kitchen is pretty big (19' x 14') with an island (8' x 5') and cabinets around the edges. The builder mentioned a little bounce is normal and suggested finishing the basement could help stabilize things. They did add double joists under the island for support, but the other joists are single and are spaced unevenly. After checking the basement, I saw that two of the single joists aren't straight across the 19' span. On one side, there's a 4" gap between joists, while the other side has a 10" gap, and it's similar with other joists as well. This all happens where there's a lot of kitchen traffic (like the oven and pantry). I'm worried this uneven spacing might be causing the bounciness in my kitchen floor. Any advice or insights?
2 Answers
It sounds like you might have a couple of issues at play here. First off, even slight variations in joist spacing can affect the overall stability of your floor, especially in high-traffic areas. What kind of joists are they? If they’re I-joists, that does make a difference. Also, those 2x4s you've mentioned don’t seem to be doing what they’re meant to do if they’re not wedged properly. They should ideally be making the floor act as one solid unit. And honestly, finishing the basement may not help with your bouncing issues—it might just be putting a Band-Aid on the problem without fixing the root cause! You've got to get a pro to check those joists out thoroughly.
Yeah, I get your concern! Uneven joist spacing can definitely contribute to a bouncy floor. If the builder didn’t install the joists correctly, that’s a big deal. Those 2x4s you mentioned should really be bridging the gaps effectively. Just nailing them to the joists isn’t going to provide the support you need. I’d recommend having a contractor take a look at them before it leads to bigger issues down the road!
I agree! Getting a pro in there could save you from bigger headaches later.
Thanks for the insight! What dimensions are your joists, by the way?