Can the ceiling in a house collapse ??

Question

Ive always been paranoid that the ceiling in my house will fall through and collapse, as it seems impossible to hold all that weight.

I live in a 3 story house, and i live on the 3rd level , which as a big double bed, big cupboards, basically lots of heavy weight and one floor board creeks when i stand on it.

It makes me think how on earth can the floor hold all this weight.

Underneath my room, is a bedroon with a huge bunk bed with two 14 stone guys sleeping in, and the room is not big at all, and sometimes i hear when im in the room underneath them creaks and floorboards makes noises?

I must just be paranoid, but can the ceiling collapse?

My house is 100 years old, so surely wear & tear would occur, and deteroriate the ceiling? could it collapse by the weight in the room alone?

thanks

Answer 1

take a deep breath and relax the sky or ceiling will not fall in on you, the creaking you are hearing is two boards rubbing together when you walk the ceiling will not fall down

Answer 2

USA    The floor joists at each floor level transmit the loads (weight) of the floor to the walls.  The walls transmit the loads down to the foundation.  Each floor carries its own weight separately.  If you do not have tons and tons of stuff on your floor, it probably will not collapse.  Neither will the one below.  If the floor below you did collapse, yours should not be affected, as your floor is separate from the one below.

Most homes can hold up to 40 pounds per square foot of weight.  That is quite a lot.  The floor boards squeak when they become a little loose, and rub against the floor joist when they are walked on.  The squeak is an annoying thing, but not a dangerous thing.  Squeaking is not a sign of weakness.  It is a signal that shims are needed between floor boards and floor joists.

Relax.  I don't think you will cave in on the floor below.

Answer 3

Stop worrying. There's lots of 100 year old houses. The wood was usually of exceptional quality, unlike today.