Can you change the thickness of a floor after it is already drawn in Revit?
Short Answer
Yes — in Autodesk Revit, you can change the thickness of a floor after it is already drawn by editing the floor type structure using Edit Type. This is the most common professional method because it updates the floor thickness consistently across all instances of that type. Limitation: changing the type affects every floor using that same type.
What You Need to Know Before
Warning: If you edit the floor type instead of duplicating it first, every floor instance assigned to that type will change thickness throughout the project. This can also shift top or bottom elevations and create conflicts with walls, doors, and hosted elements.
How to Change Floor Thickness in Revit
Command: Edit Type
Shortcut: None
Quick Steps:
- Select the floor, then go to the Properties palette and click Edit Type.
- In the Type Properties dialog, click Structure under Construction, then click Edit.
- Change the layer thickness value in the Assembly dialog, confirm the material/function if needed, then click OK twice.
Variables & Settings
Key Setting: Structure > Edit Assembly
Expert Setting: If Variable is enabled for a layer, its thickness may adjust based on shape-edited floor conditions, which can affect how the final floor thickness behaves in sloped or modified areas.
Why it Fails
- Cause 1 (Geometry): The floor may be shape-edited or attached to other elements, so thickness changes do not behave uniformly across the slab.
- Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The floor type may be used by many other floors, so editing the type unintentionally changes multiple elements in the model.
- Cause 3 (Command/Logic): revit floor thickness is usually type-driven, not instance-driven, so you cannot freely change thickness per floor unless you duplicate the type or use a different build-up.
Quick Fix & Best Practice
- Quick Fix: Before changing thickness, use Edit Type > Duplicate, create a new floor type, then edit the new type’s Structure thickness.
- Manager’s Verdict: Use type duplication whenever only one area needs a different floor thickness; edit the original type only when the change is intended project-wide.
FAQ
Can you change floor thickness for just one floor in Revit?
Yes, but usually you must duplicate the floor type first and then assign the new type to that floor.
Does changing floor thickness affect floor elevation?
Yes, depending on how the layers are built, the top or bottom face of the floor can shift.
Can you change the thickness of a sloped or shape-edited floor?
Yes, but the results may vary because shape editing can override uniform slab behavior.
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