How Can I Prevent Sagging Floors?

One of the best things you can do for your home’s structural integrity is protecting the materials in your crawl space. This will extend the life of those materials and also minimize the number of repairs you have to do around the house. Whether you want to prevent sagging floors or you just got them repaired and want to keep them stable for as long as possible, here’s what you have to do to protect your crawl space and floor. 

• Waterproofing  

To truly protect your crawl space, you need to fully waterproof it. This means full encapsulation and the installment of an interior drainage system, a sump pump, and a dehumidifier. The encapsulation will protect your crawl space from flooding and will make it more difficult for insects to get inside that could potentially ruin your wood. Encapsulation also makes your crawl space easier to clean and access, so if there’s anything in the pipes or flooring you need to check out, you won’t have to worry about getting dirty. 

The interior drainage system sump pump work together to intercept any water that enters the crawl space and drain it elsewhere. The dehumidifier keeps the humidity levels low in the crawl space. These modifications are sure to protect your crawl space, which protects your floor. 

• Small Changes  

While you should seriously consider fully waterproofing your crawl space, there are other things you can do to prevent moisture from destroying your wood. These small changes are no substitute for full waterproofing solutions, but it’s a start. If your crawl space has vents, you can install vent covers to make sure water doesn’t have such an easy time flooding the place. You can also extend and alter your downspouts so that they point away from the crawl space and dump the water as far away as possible. A good five feet is far enough away; any closer and the soil will soak up the moisture. 

You can also spray a wood preservative on your wood. They protect the wood from anything that can cause deterioration. When using wood preservatives, it’s important to only use it once a year and only use it in moderation. They contain insecticides and other harmful chemicals. Most of the air we breathe in our homes comes from the crawl space and the warm air will rise and bring with it the wood preservative, so treat it as you would any other insecticide and stay out of the house for a few hours after spraying.