Sistering and Leveling Floor Joists - Master Bathroom Remodel Pt 03

See how to sister joist to make a floor level and able to support tons of weight.
-American Wood Council Span Calculator in the app store
-Dewalt Laser Level DW088
-GRK Rugged Structural Screw 5/16 x 3-1/8"
-GRK 2.5" R4 Multi-Purpose Screws #10 size
-Glue: Loctite PL 3x Premium
-6 foot level
-4 foot level
-Dewalt 24 in Capacity Trigger Bar Clamp/Spreader DWHT83186
Music:
Savana by Andrew Ev

[@kreg_92]

Thanks for actually talking about the glue and fasteners you’re using, a lot of people brush past that and it’s really important

[@hammerpine]

Thanks....it really is important using the right screws when dealing with structure.

[@lilhoodlum17]

There's alot of subfloor install videos, but this is the first one that seemed actually helpful. Thanks!

[@beglitchery]

This is fantastic and great timing I found it. I have a 1892 house that has settled and I’ve got a 3 rooms to level and reinforce and I thought those would be two separate things. This will kill two birds with one stone

[@videomejoe]

Thx H&P, exactly what I needed to know. Got a cracking bath room tile floor on 48 inch center to center joists see with 1 inch plywood subfloor. Tile properly installed with extra sheathing and crack isolation membrane, but no one bothered to check the crawlspace joists before install.

[@josephhinkle3454]

Most detailed, helpful video I've seen on leveling a floor by sistering. thanks!

[@zzubuzz]

Very helpful and informative, I found out I need to sister 4 of them which I might not even had investigated if it wasn't for this. I've always been a big fan of GRK screws, and Locktite brand construction adhesives.

[@paulhargreaves1497]

Yes! Was going down the fillets on top of joist route..........then I saw this! Thanks.

[@NMranchhand]

Nicely shown. Thanks.

[@peterholthoffman]

Aaaarghhh! I'm a DIYer who has started down the furring / shim path which is proving to be a little problematic without a track saw (I'm finding it's a challenge to get the taper exactly right). I'm not so far down that path that I can't switch to sistering and that's what I'm going to do. This video has really helped, thank you - SUBSCRIBED!!!

[@BBB2323BBB]

How'd it go? I'm currently debating on Sistering the joist vs Sleepers (shim) on top

[@tasmaniandevil7610]

Very fine job Your definitely on my to do list to get mine right

[@hammerpine]

Glad to help. You got this!

[@number1pappy]

I lucked out with my bathroom total renovation. I only had one floor joist that was a little taller than all the others. I was able to use a planer to plane down the joist to be perfectly flush with the other joist. I then sistered a 2x10 to it to add strength. Could never figure out why the one joist was higher as everything else looked spot on. I suspect it was this way since it was built. When I pulled up the old subfloor, I noticed there were shims on a couple of the joist. I thought this was scary, considering it was the original builders who did it. Our home was built in 1981, so who knows. All I know is it is done right now. We wound up replacing all the subfloor in our home. It came originally with 3/4 inch tounge and groove subfloor. We went back in with 2 layers of 3/4 inch T&G plywwod subfloor. We also added cross blocking to all the floor joists. Before, we had some deflection and bounce in our floors. Afterwards, it's extremely solid. I personally can't stand floor bounce! It just feels like a cheap house to me.

[@vodaredhill1704]

Very good ,I learned from that.

[@michaelmebratu2921]

Amazing thanks 😊

[@colinstace1758]

Boy that plumber you had was so messy, left all kinda things under there, some free pex was a nice find though 😊👍

[@richardguest632]

in the uk you would have to remove all old timbers due to the wood worm ,at the start of video the old timbers look full of it

[@hammerpine]

Good eye! In this area we would call them Powder Post Beetle. No active infestation after years of professional treatment and monitoring. Prior to purchasing, the owners had a pest inspection done, which came back negative and highlighted that treatment had been done in the past. By the time this video was being made, elements such as moisture mitigation and crawlspace enclosure had been taken care of thus preventing reoccurrence. The sound and the feel of these joists were solid, so they remained.

[@lsk-nf7um]

666 subscribers! Here let me fix that. Thank you for the info.

[@paulmonk7820]

But aren't they all a fraction of an inch off? For example, if the line is right on the top edge of closest one, it won't be seen on ones beyond it. I would think the laser should be set on one end of the room, and the line and sistering start with the one at the far end. Then, as you move toward the laser, the line will show on each one.

[@hammerpine]

You are correct. Later in the video you do see the lazer level is in the corner of the room. Definitely work from the far end in. (edit spelling)

[@artur198555]

Hi, Im gonna be leveling my floor as well and Ive got a question. If the diffrence is 15mm in the room is it not easier to just use planer ? Of course my floor then will be 15mm lower but it doesn't matter in my case. Can I do that ?

[@hammerpine]

I missed this question - hope your project has gone well.....You certainly can do that and it may be easier if your other joists are not too out of line or have few crowns/bows.

[@antwonreynolds3393]

Wheres the rest of the parts?

[@zzubuzz]

About 6:00 into it you describe the types of Locktite adhesives. Over the last few months or so I noticed that it appears they no longer make the PL8 which in the past I've used several tubes of with success. So now, it seems the "Max" is the only alternative to the PL3, and I have used a few tubes of that with success but it costs pretty much more than the PL8 did. Too bad they don't make the PL 3 in the large tube, so it would cost less. I have tried a large tube of the PL 560 for "Subfloors" and found it didn't even harden, I checked again another day later, was still not hard. I was so disgusted I took the remainder back for a refund.

[@hammerpine]

The lack of PL8 may be a supply problem. I am able to get PL8 over in my area and checking Loctite's website, they still have the PL3, PL8 and MAX listed. Out of curiosity, I called their helpline and was told that they still do make to product. I wonder if the adhesive you used for the subfloor was expired. I check the dates printed on the tubes (usually!) before buying so I don't get anything that has expired.

[@zzubuzz]

@@hammerpine Yes, I agree about the possibility of expiration. But I have 5 - 7 joists to sister up, they are 10' long. I had went ahead using Liquid Nails "for sub-floors" on the first two, they come in the big 28 oz. tube, now that I've done two I know it takes a whole tube to do 2 of them. I had glued up some scraps and though the stuff does not dry really hard (like the PL 3,8 or Max), 24 hours after the glue-up they seem to be bonded pretty tight, I can not pull them apart. I think it is the best choice because: I need a great quantity to get big beads down, and this purpose would be mainly to prevent squeaking, I'm using the same screws as you are but spacing them only 12" apart in the same up/down fashion. I did buy more of the PL 450 ("for sub-floors")in the large 28oz. size, it seems to be about the same as the Liquid Nails for sub-floors, as it is white in color, same thickness, I figure it is the PL version of the same product, and I do have more trust in PL than Liquid Nails. I used four clamps during the process along the 10' span, this helps get a good squeeze on them and was absolutely necessary to hold the joist in place, it being over my head and after getting one clamp on it held in place while I proceeded to apply the screws.

[@zzubuzz]

This might sound trivial but the 3 1/8" GRX construction screws did poke thru the sistered 2x8s, if you think this might cause somebody to poke a finger just use a grinder to dull them down after installation, this worked for me. My crawl space is not intended for storage space being so low as it is, but in the future if something needed to be serviced down there somebody would have a really bad day trying to work after poking there fingers. Do NOT try to grind them down before installation unless you want them to bust out chunks of pine on the other side (and don't ask how I know:)

[@robertbrown6623]

My bathroom is in an interior room and none of my joists hit the rim joist (the rim joists are in the rooms in front of and behind the bathroom). I was hoping to sister the joists to level the floor. Is it acceptable to sister the joists like this if I can't mount their edges to anything?

[@zcpoling]

Ugh, I'm trying to find out the same question and I can't find an answer everywhere! If the original hanger is sufficient to support both the old and new joist, it'll be an easy job 🥲

[@marmington]

Did you ever find the answer to this? Seem incorrect to not have the sister sit on the rim joist?

[@robertbrown6623]

@@marmington Negative, I was not able to find an answer.

[@hammerpine]

If you are looking to level out a floor (make it flat) or add to a floors ability to carry a higher load and minimize deflection you can just sister like you are saying and I did in the video. It is acceptable for joists that are cracked, have excessive notches or holes drilled through it but are otherwise in good condition. Remember that the middle third of a joist is (should be!) a notch and hole free zone. If they had rot, insect damage or otherwise in bad condition around the point of attachment to a rim or support beam then I would look to rip and replace and get hangars put in. In this video the original joists are notched and sitting on a 2x4 that is attached to the rim and support joist. Hangars would not work. Doubly because nominal and actual lumber dimensions are being sistered - I have yet to come across a hangar that would accommodate that. I could have notched the new joists and have them sit on the 2x4 as well, however that would be quite a bit more work for little gain.

[@hashminhas]

I still didn't get how the existing joists were levelled.

[@markjacksonturner6462]

You didn't secure your new sister joists to the ring joist.

[@magnusqgamez]

Help me please I have a question

[@hammerpine]

What is the question?

[@scunning100]

Stud

[@lebronjameslol3521]

Nice clamp game lol. Thats my take away from this video for sure. Cut out 1/3 of the labor from moving and repositioning those 2x6 beams.

[@chk3700]

But if u do it won't be correct Level base

[@hammerpine]

Care to elaborate as to why?

[@eriktyson7696]

Stuart ftom Big Bang Theory?

[@hammerpine]

Good show.