How to Deal with Spongy Floors

One of the words we often hear to describe floor problems is “spongy.” It can take a while for someone to call when their floors are spongy because it doesn’t feel as immediately dangerous as a noticeable dip or even a spot that creaks and groans, but it can indicate problems that are just as bad. Here’s what spongy floors mean for you and your crawl space. 

There’s water 

Whenever the floors on the first floor of your home start to fail - you might describe them as spongy or soft - the first thing you should think is water. Wood doesn’t generally just change texture and support levels without the presence of water. 

There’s damage  

Not only is there likely water, there’s enough water over enough time that it’s soaked into the support beams below your subfloor and started to degrade them, and probably even grow mold. As mold takes root, it just needs that organic material of the beam and a consistent water source (often as simple as humidity) to continue to spread and break down the beams. 

This breakdown of the beams is the root cause of your weakening floors, but if the problem has been occurring long enough, even your subfloor could be rotting out.  

It’s time to call in an expert 

You can’t do much for spongy floors, but we can. After getting the moisture under control with a dehumidifier, we’ll assess what level of support your beams need in order to restore your floors. We can sister wood or even steel beams to the affected old beams to strengthen them and then, if needed, use SmartJack support posts to boost and support the whole setup.  

Spongy floors might not seem like a huge problem, but they’re a sign that something is very wrong in your crawl space. Call today to schedule your free inspection and get back on solid ground.