What kind of professional am I looking for?

May 26, 2021 10:13 PM

My kitchen floor is tile and I've recently noticed that in one spot, between the grout, something underneath is pushing the floor up. At first, when I stepped on it, it was hard but now it feels like there's a little more give.

Anyway, it definitely isn't getting better, and I'm thinking I should find someone to check it out. I usually use Yelp to find people, but what do I plug in here? Do I need someone with more expertise than "handyman"? I'm thinking someone needs to go into the crawlspace and see what's going on. Also, is there a better website to use these days than Yelp? I've been mostly happy with people I've found on there but I do come across some unprofessional ones once in a while.

posted by madonna of the unloved to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

A good handyman, carpenter or general contractor can look underneath for structural problems. They might not be able to fix it properly without redoing much of the floor, though.
posted by jon1270 at 3:25 AM on May 27, 2021

Look for a leak under your kitchen sink.
posted by clockwork at 5:58 AM on May 27, 2021 [3 favorites]

If you have the NextDoor app, you can find many good recommendations from your neighbors.
posted by kittygrandma at 6:18 AM on May 27, 2021

My building/home inspector husband says that it is most likely a slab leak so you should call a plumber.
posted by mismatchedsock at 6:37 AM on May 27, 2021

If there's a crawlspace there isn't a slab, though.

What is the flooring that the tiles are laid over made of?
posted by flabdablet at 7:59 AM on May 27, 2021

we recently had some tiling issues in a stall shower (with the tiles being pushed out from a wall) and i found a guy who specialized in tile/grout. They are used to pulling stuff up and seeing whats behind it - the guy who came out was actually a franchisee of a company called The Grout Doctor.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:23 AM on May 27, 2021

My building/home inspector husband says that it is most likely a slab leak so you should call a plumber.

I just got a shiver down my spine by reading this.
Our Florida home, built in 1970, with copper pipes in the slab, developed more slab leaks that a 13 year old developing pimples.
Finally had to call it a day and get everything re-piped through our attic.
The big tip off was a constant hissing sound; I assume the OP doesn't have that.
posted by Bill Watches Movies Podcast at 11:44 AM on May 27, 2021 [2 favorites]