Deflection Problem causing tile to come loose

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rlc2052

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2007
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I have a restaurant with a deflection problem on the first floor. The kitchen is 15 wide and is supported with 2x12 joists that are pocketed into cinder block walls. Over the past 3 months that the restaurant has been open the grout and tile is coming loose on the floor due to the deflection of the floor. :mad: I do have access to the floor in the basement.

I am thinking about adding new posts under the floor to stabalize the middle. Any thoughts

Thanks

Robert
 
Hello Robert:
You are right on, my friend. A beam of 4 X 6 with a post every 4' will stabilize the floor just fine. Our firefighter friends hate them but I would use basememt jacks for a quick finish and economy.
Merry Christmas
Glenn
 
Right on, but in my area the posts are about every 8'. Sure makes moving around in the basement a lot easier.
 
Hey Robert:
If space is a premium in your basement you could use a 6 X 12 beam and spread the posts to 8'; a commercial kitchen has a lot of heavy equipment in it.
Glenn
 
I was just in my basement and realized we have a 4 x 6 steel I-beam. But then, that's supporting 3 stories of plaster wall above it.

Hmm... Would footings be needed?
 
There is actually a walk-in in the basement. I also have a drop ceiling in the basement that only has about 5 inches of space in-between it and the joists. I can run support poles on the side of my walk-in every 3 feet with a 4x4 running across the top. Do you think the 4x4 would be heavy enough?
 
Every 3 feet? I think you could park trucks on top of it. Well... not literally, but it would definately be strong enough.

A couple of things you'll probably run into is the 4x4 stock may be twisted. Make sure an eyeball them as you pick 'em at the store to make sure you get straight ones. Another thing is the bottoms of the joists may not be even. Get some dry shims (wet shims will shrink as they dry) to support the higher joists. Also, a small dab of glue will keep them from slipping out over time.

What are you using for posts?
 
I think the only thing left is to do it. ;)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top