Are structural support beams supposed to be wobbly?
When a basement support beam or strut flexes or looks unusual, people who are completely out of their element cannot tell if it is normal. This leaves them unable to figure out the cause or determine whether the building is still structurally sound.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Leaving it alone because it has lasted a long time
- 2Trying to identify the correct terminology for the building component
- 3Running a dehumidifier to reduce moisture
- 4Wire brushing and painting with rusty metal primer and a topcoat
- 5Drilling test holes to check the interior condition
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Structural support beams in basement all look like the photo at the bottom of the beam. What is it, what’s the cause, are they still structurally sound?”source ↗
“Appreciate that, I am out of my element - 100%”source ↗
“Hey, this strud flexes when slightly shake it. It may not be called strut I'm not sure, but is it supposed to be wobbly?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Are these wall cracks structural or cosmetic?
- 3Does this concrete crack need immediate repair?
- 12Is my house support beam strong enough for the load?
- 2Is a sagging DIY overhead structure safe to leave up?
- 27Is a basement wall crack structural or just cosmetic?
- 5Is this brick crack structural or just cosmetic?