Floor "snapping" on the 2nd floor....new construct

[mzahn]

Hi all. 7 months ago we closed on a brand new home built by Fortis in Cary, NC. Maybe 2 months ago we realized that if a person was walking on the 2nd floor *in certin areas* there was excessive floor snapping that can be heard from the 1st floor. I do not want to say floor "squeaking" since it is far from that. At times it almost sounds like a small group of firecrackers are going off. So far Fortis has tried to shim our outside walls to correct this problem. This did not work. This is driving me so crazy I am ready to rip off my sheetrock just to see what is doing this. Does anybody have any ideas what could be causing this? Their next attempt to fix this is tomorrow. They are going to remove the baseboard molding and screw at an angle into the floor plate. Thanks in advance. Michael Zahn, North Carolina.

[Rich]

It sounds more like the floor sheeting wasn't properly installed as opposed to an exterior wall joist bearing problem. Most nails from an air nailer have a "glue" the can pop pretty good when it gives way.
Anybody else tried to deal with floor noise through an exterior wall. I guess if the joists aren't bearing full on the top plates it could have a little to do with it.. I'm just wondering why they are so focused on the exterior walls. Maybe they know something nobody else does :)

[Tom R]

Maybe wood 'shrinkage' and the weight of someone walking is making the wood 'ride' on the nails? The 'timing' is about right (especially if the house took a good 'soaking' and then got 'covered in' before 'drying').

[Rich]

That could very well be.

[mzahn]

Just an update. When they removed the baseboard and put screws thru the nail plate (not sure if I got that right), it did not do a thing. Now they are leaning more towards the sheetrock. First, they are going to rescrew a section of the ceiling to see if this stops the noise. If not...they are just going to remove a portion of my ceiling. They also have a rep coming in from trus joists to see maybe they got a bad batch of TJI's.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks!

Mike Zahn

[mjpliv]

It sounds like wood moving on nails. It could be the sub-floor/joist joint or the bridging/joist joint. Most likely it is the sub-floor/joist joint. Was the plywood just nailed? Was it glued and nailed? Was it glued and screwed?

I remember when I sold TJI's in the retail end of things there was a tool used by the guys who dealt with warrentys (ie-squeaky floors). It allowed a screw to be driven through any carpet and underlay into the wood below without damaging the carpet. It was a small cast aluminum attachment for the drill with 3-4 legs that applied pressure to the carpet fibers surrounding the area of the screw penetration. Your local TJI retailer may be able to source on of these for you or someone reading this post can point you in the right direction.

[mzahn]

The first thing Fortis did was pull up my carpet in my master bedroom and look st the subfloor. It was glued and nailed. What they did was screw down the subfloor. The only thing this really did was firm up the floor. We have also been in certain parts of the house with those speacial screws. They ARE great for floor squeaks....and I wish all I had was floor squeaks...this is just not in the same catagory. The noise can only be heard when you are on the first floor. Im at a loss. Im ready just to put my head thru the ceiling sheetrock to see what is causing this.

Thanks for all the input guys!

Mike

[Tom R]

This is just a guess from 'way' up here in Jersey, but I still say it's wood shrinkage (because of the timing). Although wood shrinks more in 'width' than in 'length' (percentage-wise), it does shrink 'somewhat' in length. I would concentrate more on screwing the 'studs' to the 'plates' (top and bottom), than the 'plate' to the floor. And as far as the 'sheetrock' itself, it actually should 'not' be nailed to the top or bottom plates, it should be allowed to 'float'. Good Luck, keep us posted, and hey, at least they're trying to 'fix' the problem. That, in itself, seems to be a 'plus' these days.

[Tom R]

Also, if it's going to be exposed, try glueing and shimming between top plate and joists. I know it sounds rather obvious, but the first thing to do is have someone walk the second floor, while someone on the first 'isolates' just where the sound is coming from.

[mzahn]

The problem has been fixed! It seems the sheetrock on the ceiling on the first floor was not properly nailed/screwed on. Since the rock was allowed to flex to easily....everytime you stepped on the TGI...there enough give to "crack" "snap" the sheetrock. Fortis had a rocker come in and screw my entire ceiling on the first floor.

This is one for the books!

Thanks for all the input! Have a great summer!

Mike Zahn
NC

[Rich]

Glad you got it figured out.

[mjpliv]

Thats a new one for me!

[Tom R]

Blessing in disguise, the noise saved you from a potential sheetrock 'drop ceiling', and possibly a severe headache, or in the least, a 'bad hair' day. Glad to hear it's fixed and 'kudos' to Fortis for 'following up'.