Repairing a broken or cracked floor joist

[@Matt-e2j]

Great video ! You really need to move those Pex water lines running next to the electrical.

[@stevoj8959]

Will take that into consideration. Thanks. Stevo

[@brent1387]

Great looking repair…Steve.

[@stevoj8959]

It worked out better than I thought. Less creaking in the floor now. Thanks. Stevo

[@GrampiesWorkshop]

How's she goin'? Nice repair Stevo!! That gorilla glue you used is nice. I like that it expands and fills voids so although you got the joist well squeezed together, this glue will fill any spots that didn't come right tight!! The plywood makes this repair super strong too. Take care!!

[@stevoj8959]

That glue is a great product. I have used it on some outdoor projects and it lasted for years. Thanks Mike. Stevo

[@apatterson8128]

Nice repair, Steve.

[@stevoj8959]

Glad I finally got it done and it will last for ever. Thanks. Stevo

[@terryhill4732]

Nothing like sistering a cracked floor joist together

[@stevoj8959]

It has worked out well, no more creaking. Thanks. Stevo

[@billysamboysr]

This is great. Thank you so much!!

[@stevoj8959]

It worked out great. My house used to have a creak there but no longer. Plywood gives it some good strength. Thanks for tuning in. Stevo

[@ebfromwyoming4118]

Great job sir 👏

[@stevoj8959]

It turned out great. Less work than I thought it would be. Thanks. Stevo

[@not2fast4u2c]

I aprove that repair it is now stronger than the original piece of wood

[@stevoj8959]

You can't beat plywood for strength. Glad I finally got it done. Thanks Jim. Stevo

[@wdilks]

Aren't nails used for their shear strength in these situations? Unless you've used special screws, which I assume you did. But there was no mention of this. Good vid. Thx.

[@stevoj8959]

I think the glue is key to this fix. You are right about the nails when you are laminating a beam but for this fix, I figured screws are good. It worked out good, still no squeaks. Thanks. Stevo

[@wdilks]

@@stevoj8959 Gotcha. Looks like a really nice job!

[@OmarPopioco]

Hi thanks for the great video 👍 What was it you were spraying at 19:50? was that activator for the glue? or were you just cleaning the wood?

[@stevoj8959]

That was water I was spraying. Urethane glue needs water to activate so I gave it a helping hand. Thanks. Stevo

[@Rellikman]

Next time crown the cracked beam up past straight the difference that it was sagging, then glue plywood. Let it dry, then take the supports out.

[@stevoj8959]

I agree and when I lifted it, I went as high as I could. With the crack being at the end, it would make that difficult. Thanks for tuning in. Stevo

[@Rellikman]

@@stevoj8959 use a string line to check sag. I think that’s best for assessment

[@MissouriOldTimer]

yes, that is much stronger than it was before, it'll last forever.

[@stevoj8959]

A definite on that one. Those manufactured joists now a days are great and stronger than a 2x10. Thanks Vern. Stevo

[@GGGtube]

Not a fan of titebond? Nice job!

[@stevoj8959]

Always used the PL in construction and it does work. The fix is still solid. Thanks for tuning in. Stevo

[@GGGtube]

@@stevoj8959 oh looked liked you used gorilla glue to fill the crack and PL to sister the joist with plywood.... I was talking about titebond to glue the crack...

[@GGGtube]

​​@@stevoj8959i mean filling in the crack. It looked like gorilla glue. I'm not talking about the PL you used to sister the joist...

[@stevoj8959]

@@GGGtube I got er now. I like the Gorilla glue because it expands and can get deeper into the crack. I really like the holding power of it as well. Stevo

[@GGGtube]

@@stevoj8959 ah cool. You almost finished the job... You forgot to slap it and say "that's not going anywhere". 🤣🤣🤣

[@MOAB-UT]

Don't screw up on that angle- makes it weaker. Should have left the support in place and span the two joists. What kind of screws where they? Should be structural screws. You should have added blocking. Did the foundation settle? Why did both joists crack? If that foundation is sinking, those thin 1/2" boards can and will snap. Joists very rarely ever crack like that- in this house both of them did. That suggests a foundation problem. You might now get cracking on other joists as that load is being transferred. The load was so strong, it cracked two joists in half. Much of that load will now be on the screws which can crack the wood. Steel would have been a much better choice. No matter what, consider adding a few support column down there. Concrete filled steel would be ideal. If not, deck like, 4x4" pressure treated lumbar could work well too. Each can carry three joists nicely- so three poles will cover 9 joists and offer supreme support. Being an unfinished basement, you have the room for it. Install and secure properly and pull permits if needed. All in all, this will work for now but keep an eye on things.

[@stevoj8959]

Good information to have. The foundation is good I checked that and with the 3/4 inch ply laminated to each side seems to be working well. I always give it a look. Thanks. Stevo

[@MOAB-UT]

@@stevoj8959 Agreed- it will likely hold up good enough. I like to over engineer a bit. You already did the hard work. Now adding some simple support columns would help. They are inexpensive and would eliminate all future issues. I would add at least metal columns that could span say ~10 joists above w/steal cross beam would be winning big time. Would cost very little take you

[@stevoj8959]

Will look into that. Thanks. Stevo@@MOAB-UT

[@MOAB-UT]

@@stevoj8959 Sure. It took tremendous pressure to crack the original joist. That is the root of the issue that needs to be addressed...not patched.

[@GregoryKarambelas]

@utah100 - I’m considering putting concrete-filled Lally columns in the basement of my two story 1920’s home for better support with some deflection of the floor joists towards the center of the house. I am assuming the best method is to build out some new footings for any permanent beam to mount on. Any tips of figuring out the best locations for the columns and the size/depth of footings beneath them?