ᐅ The floor on the upper level has significant vibrations when walking.

Hello dear community,

I am reaching out with a question because I’m sure some of you have had similar experiences and are familiar with this issue.

In the house we bought about a year ago, we have a problem with the floor on the upper level—it swings and creaks noticeably even with normal footsteps.

A brief overview of the substructure:
It has a wooden beam ceiling with infill. OSB boards are laid on top. During our renovation, we didn’t notice this swinging (or perhaps we simply didn’t realize it because we were on a very tight schedule and everything had to be done as quickly as possible).

Anyway, we installed impact sound insulation on the OSB boards and then laid laminate flooring. What could be causing this?

Do you think there might be a structural issue with the house? Or is it possible to eliminate the swinging by removing everything—including the OSB boards—and perhaps doubling the joists and then building a Fermacell construction on top?

To explain a bit further: when my daughter is running around in her room, our bedside table and wardrobe in our bedroom visibly shake. That can’t be normal...

I look forward to your answers and thank you in advance.
Wishing you all a nice Sunday.

PS: If I were to hire a professional to inspect this, who would be the right person? A carpenter, joiner, or perhaps a floor installer?

Many kind regards,
Haus_käufer

I can only add a personal experience. House built in 1980. Wooden beam ceilings, with loose fill in some floors and some kind of concrete fill in others. Everything shakes when the children jump, especially on the floor below. Maybe newer houses with different construction methods or better technical decoupling are better, but I always considered this normal.

How old is the house?

The house dates back to 1958. We have exactly the same kind of concrete screed or whatever it is. Of course, it’s normal for it to bounce when the children jump, but it also moves slightly during normal walking, which makes me a bit concerned.

It's the same for us. Wooden beams naturally have some flex. Try jumping on a log and the person on the other side will feel it. Now try the same on a concrete column...

In newer houses, more attention has certainly been paid to decoupling and similar measures.

I would say tear out the ceiling and install a concrete slab.

That's normal. There's nothing you can do.

Now, this is a subjective feeling of what feels solid and what doesn’t. A wooden beam ceiling will naturally have some movement, but not enough to cause concern. Over the course of 60 years, the beams could also have weakened (due to rot or similar issues). Usually, OSB boards (with tongue and groove) provide additional support. I would recommend consulting an engineering firm specializing in building damage assessment to get professional advice. The diagnosis "there’s nothing you can do" is too easy to make over the internet.