Strange problem: fitted wall hung sink, now floor bouncy

[nebjamin]

Hi,

Recently fitted a wall hung sink to a stud wall in the bathroom. The stud wall extends the whole width of the house. Outside the bathroom, there is a doorway in the wall to the master bedroom and the wall also cuts across the landing (as the stairs turn 90 degrees to meet the landing).

Since I fitted the sink, the chipboard T&G flooring under the stud wall at the other end of the doorway (this is about 2m away from where I fitted the sink!) seems to be much more springy and creaky than I remember. The floor has always been a bit creaky here since it gets a lot of traffic from people coming up the stairs, but it just seems to have more play than I remember. Also it is slightly uneven, feels a bit like walking up an incline.

The doorframe here also has separated slightly at the top right mitre by about 1mm, and the skirting has come away from the doorframe slightly.

The stud wall sits on a joist (I know because I had some floor up in the bathroom for the plumbing). Not sure if it is double joisted or not, since I haven't checked the other side of the wall.

Now our floor seems to be getting creakier all the time, but I was wondering whether putting the extra weight on the stud wall has caused some undesirable side-effect at the other end of the wall.

The house was built circa 1997.

Thanks for any info!

 

[Softus]

Now our floor seems to be getting creakier all the time, but I was wondering whether putting the extra weight on the stud wall has caused some undesirable side-effect at the other end of the wall.

I think you already know that it has.

 

[nebjamin]

Well, you might be right, but I can't remember what it was like before.

I had a closer look and there's some movement between the chipboard floor and the sole-plate of the stud wall (hence the squeaking). This area is right at the top of the stairs so gets heavy usage.

Anyway - what to do? Will this cause any long-term problems? Or has the balance of the wall just shifted a bit from where it has been for the last 10 years resulting in slight movement.

Thanks