History Main / FloorboardFailure

* In ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'' the old tatami floors at Eikichi and Ryuji's new HorribleHousing gives way as soon as they step on it. Eikichi claims he feels something slithering around his foot.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', a couple of buildings have this as a scripted event. The Calvert Mansion in the ''Point lookout'' expansion has you falling through several floors and into the basement.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' when reaching for the pedestal the portal gun was supposed to be on.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Manga/SeitokaiYakuindomo'', the main characters visit [[{{Ojou}} Shichijou Aria's]] house and are taken to an old storeroom. The floor breaks under Shino and Hata asks if there's a way to get under the floor to take photos.

* ''Manga/KindaichiCaseFiles: The Vampire Special Case'' takes place in an old hotel. One of its hallway floors is so rickety than one must not exceed 50 kg to pass. A careless Kindaichi fell through but thankfully landed on a pile of mattresses.

* Due to its ObviousBeta status, this accidentally happens sometimes in ''VideoGame/{{Superman64}}'', usually at complete random. Still, it can give some truly spectacular graphical glitches, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirnxPT8ogA#t=16m here]]

* The floors in Architect Smurf's smurfominium are prone to weakness in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "Skyscraper Smurfs".

!!Examples

** In one episode a chainsaw that Gaston had meddled with goes haywire, cutting a hole in the floor around his desk and dropping it and Gaston into the office below, where the process repeats itself. After going through three floors, it is still going, several characters have gathered on top of Gaston's desk (Lebrac appreciating the SecurityCling courtesy of a female coworker), and one asks how many more floors there are.[[note]]Gaston's desk is usually set on the ''cinquième'' or ''sixième étage'', which in US numbering would be the sixth or seventh floor respectively.[[/note]]

** And yet another example, Gaston is painting the floor of his office while holding an internal monologue about how he won't be falling for the old 'painted into a corner' gag because his home-made paint dries almost instantly. Unfortunately for him, said paint eats through the floor and completely disintegrates it, leaving him stranded on the tiny corner he left unpainted.

* The climax of ''Film/TheNinthGate'' (1999) where the floorboards in a ruined castle partially collapse, trapping Dean Corso (Johnny Depp). He is forced to watch Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) triumph.
** Why is he stepping between the rafters? Because when he tried to walk on them, the improper placement caused them to hit him in the face.

-->'''Janey''': ImOkay

* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad''. When the bombs set to blow up the Jotunheim tower go off too soon, the piece of floor Bloodsport is standing on collapses only to be stopped by the floor below. Bloodsport's incredulous reaction is cut short when ''that'' floor collapses, then [[OverlyLongGag the one after it and so on]] until he lands on the ground floor at [[BigDamnHeroes just the right time to save Ratcatcher's life.]]

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', it happens to [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060512#.VolqmvEU680 Zeetha's whole group]] in [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer the sewers of Sturmhalten]], ''[[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060510#.VolqsfEU680 immediately]]'' after [[FromBadToWorse escaping a rampaging monster]]. They land in an {{oubliette}} turned de facto ossuary - but only discover this when they try to burn some "moss" growing on a "rock" for light;
-->'''Dimo''': ''Hokay. De '''goot''' news iz dot de bones vasn't '''scattered.''' ''\\
'''Lars''': ''That's '''good?''' ''\\
'''Dimo''': ''Yah. Dere ain't '''monsters''' attacking pipple from de dark.''\\
'''Lars''': ''... That '''is''' good.''\\
'''Dimo''': ''De bad news is dot anyone who vind up here--dey '''stay''' here.''
* ''Webcomic/{{Matchu}}'' has this as a RunningGag.

[[folder:Web Original]]

-->''"Alright boys, my fat ass fell through the floorboards again."''\\

(''Homer whimpers'')\\
'''Moe:''' Happy landings! (''pushes him'')\\
(''Homer falls two feet onto the floor; everyone laughs'')\\
(''the floor collapses and Homer falls through with a yell and a crash -- five times consecutively'')\\
'''Homer:''' (''from the bottom'') I think I have to do it again. My blindfold came off.
** Another episode has Homer & Marge talking about the terrible shape their house is in, and just then Bart falls halfway into the kitchen from the 2nd floor. "Little help?" Marge pushes him back up the newly created hole with a broom handle.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' Franchise/JamesBond spoof "Tearjerker", Stan and Francine's characters fall through the floorboards of the titular villain (Roger)'s lair when they try to escape. This was [[RunningGag another blunder of the contractor who built the place]] as Roger comments "Never [[HiredForTheirLooks hire a contractor just because he's gorgeous]]."
** Later in the episode, when Roger sends his minions from his blimp to the lair, the floorboards break just as they land. All Roger can say is a deadpan "Really?"

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wishfart}}''

* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad''. When the bombs set to blow up the Jotunheim tower go off too soon, the piece of floor Bloodsport is standing on collapses only to be stopped by the floor below. Bloodsport's incredulous reaction is stopped when ''that'' floor collapses, then [[OverlyLongGag the only after it and so on]] until he lands on the ground floor at [[BigDamnHeroes just the right time to save Ratcatcher's life.]]

Often leads to [[DisasterDominoes the floor below that collapsing, and then the floor below]] ''[[DisasterDominoes that]]'' [[DisasterDominoes in a cascade of disintegrating floors]].

** And yet another example, Gaston is painting the floor of his office while holding an internal monologue about how he won't be falling for the old 'painted into a corner' gag. Unfortunately for him, his home-made paint eats through the floor and completely disintegrates it, leaving him stranded on the tiny corner he left unpainted.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3'' has this happen to a ''tank.'' As it turns out, driving a 57-ton Abrahms tank into a parking garage only rated for 30 tons has [[RealityEnsues predictable consequences.]]

** In another, Lebrac drops termites overnight into Gaston's [[BizarreInstrument Gaffophone]] as a desperate measure to get rid of the damn thing. The next morning, everything made of cellulose is collapsing or disintegrating at the lightest touch. Gaston hurriedly runs to the attic... to find his instrument still there (the termites apparently left it alone due to the varnish on it). An incensed Prunelle asks Lebrac to follow him to his office... just as the two of them are going through the floor.

* In ''Manga/NonNonBiyori'', the school's leaky roof and general decay have resulted in patches of floor rotting away. Natsumi points this out in one episode, but claims no one's stupid enough to fall through. The next shot/panel is her brother Suguru in a hole in the floor.
* ''Manga/KindaichiCaseFiles: The Vampire Special Case'' takes place in an old hotel. One of its hallway floors are so rickety than one must not exceed 50 kg to pass. A careless Kindaichi fell through, but thankfully landed on a pile of mattresses.

* When ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'''s boxing opponent [[DavidVsGoliath Tinearo]] steps into the ring, the floor gives away instantly under his massive frame. A bystander notes, "He went through it as if was made of paper"

* [[ZigZaggedTrope Zigzagged]] in ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'': The main characters are exploring a crumbling old mansion when the wooden floor suddenly gives way below Filemon. Mortadelo immediately starts to lament his partner, only to find that there is a stone floor just a few centimeters below the wooden one and Filemon is fine. Relieved, Mortadelo jumps onto the stone floor - which promply collapses, sending the two falling into a hole so ridiculously deep it takes all night before they crash into the bottom.

* ''Film/DeadlyDetention'': When Lexie and Barrett are hiding from the kiler in the ceiling, they end up on a soft part of it and fall through.

* ''Film/IronMan'': Tony's first flight test ends with him crashing though his ceiling ''and'' the floor during an attempted landing. Further casualties are a piano and a car. Followed shortly thereafter by what little remains of Tony's dignity when his RobotBuddy Dum-E blasts him in the face with a fire extinguisher. [[RunningGag Again]].

* ''Film/NotAnotherTeenMovie'': After her big makeover, Janey starts boldly walking down the stairs... when suddenly she falls through the staircase, followed by the stair carpet, a table, stair rods and sundry stairs and other bits of the house falling on top of her.

* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' book ''The Reaction'', Rachel involuntarily morphs an elephant on the second floor of her house, causing the floor to collapse. [[DeconstructedTrope Later books feature the house being repaired and discussions of a lawsuit levelled against the builders]]. Rachel feels guilty, since the house was never meant to support an elephant, but she cannot explain what happened without revealing the truth.

* A blackout scene in one of Creator/ErnieKovacs' 1961-62 specials for Creator/{{ABC}} featured him as a car salesman showing off a Nash Metropolitan. He slaps on the hood, sending the car down a hole in the ground. Reportedly, this five second gag used the entire budget for the half-hour show.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', a couple of buildings have this as a scripted event. The Calvert Mansion in the ''Point lookout'' expansion has you falling though several floors and into the basement.

* In ''VideoGame/{{BioShock 2}}'', Subject Delta is shot at, nearly set on fire and falls though several floors into water.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Hank falls through his kitchen floor to find a SecretUndergroundPassage built by Dale, Bill and Boomhauer.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' Franchise/JamesBond spoof "Tearjerker", Stan and Francine's characters fall through the floorboards of the titular vilain (Roger)'s lair when they try to escape. This was [[RunningGag another blunder of the contractor who built the place]] as Roger comments "Never [[HiredForTheirLooks hire a contractor just because he's gorgeous]]."

* Old mine workings. What looks like a solid rock floor may be only a layer of stone debris covering a structure of ancient timbers which have spent the last two hundred years or so gradually rotting away to the point where the only reason they are still up is that they haven't fallen down yet. Add the weight of an incautious mine explorer for an instant revelation of just how large the great big hole underneath them is. This is why one should never enter such workings without the knowledge to identify such hazards in a non-destructive manner.

* An episode of ''Series/GrowingPains'' has Carol fall through the floor while doing aerobics. They have termites. Harsher in Hindsight given Tracy Gold's later battle with an eating disorder.

-->'''Number One:''' All Stonecutters must take the Leap of Faith. If you survive this five-story plunge, your character will be proven.\\

* ''Film/OurMissBrooks'': When campaigning for the position of Coordinator of Education, Mr. Conklin falls through the floor of the temporary stage Walter Denton constructed. Walter didn't use enough nails.
* The Creator/TomHanks movie ''Film/TheMoneyPit'' has this. In this case, the hole was already there with a large rug thrown over it, and poor Walter gets stuck in it for several hours.

* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'' has this occur in the middle of a fight between the Turtles and the Foot clan on the second floor of April's apartment. Given that the floor had been hacked at with ninja axes and the number of people in the room at the time, this was inevitable. Donatello even tries to warn the Foot.
-->'''Donatello:''' Uh, guys, I'm not so sure if this is, structurally speaking... such a good time for your buddies to drop in.\\
(''Foot soldiers drop in through the skylight; seconds later epic floorboard failure occurs'')

* The climax of ''Film/TheNinthGate'' (1999) where the floorboards in a ruined castle partially collapse, trapping Dean Corso (Johnny Depp). He is forced to watch Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) triumph.
* Damaged, rather than totally collapsed, floorboards play a key role in the climax of ''Film/PacificHeights'' (1990)

* In VisualNovel/{{DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony}}, Kokichi is found on the ground bloodied, but "It's a lie!". Turns out he went thru the floorboard, showing evidence that [[spoiler: the killer of that chapter's class trial rigged each of the possible rooms of the seance to murder..]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/TheLastContinent'', the wizards and Mrs Whitlow are on a [[LivingShip ship-fruit]] which is breaking up once within sight of land in order to shed its seeds. The Senior Wrangler heroically attempts to save Mrs Whitlow by lifting her up, thereby transferring her weight to his feet, with predictable results.