Squeaky Creaky Floors
Does your house have squeaky creaky floors when you are walking from one room to another or when you step in a certain area of the house? If so, you could be scaring away possible buyers if your house is for sale. Many people associate squeaks and creaks with old houses that need a lot of work. There are ways to quiet the squeaks and creaks but the sounds may not go away forever, sometimes routine maintenance will be required.
Almost everyone loves hardwood but the flooring typically become squeaky after several years. This is very much the case for the homes that are 100 years old and have original flooring. Many times refinishing the floors is an attractive and low cost alternative to replacing them, but the creaks should be addressed prior to refinishing the flooring if possible.
You should locate all squeaks in the floor by walking along the floor and addressing the problem areas. Below are some fixes depending if you have access below the floors and have access to the joists.
Fixing a Joist and Subfloor Squeak from Below
This squeak is caused from space between the joist and the subfloor which is referred to as “give” in the floor and is a common squeak. It can be remedied by tapping a shim lightly into the space between the joist and subfloor. Be very careful not to raise the floor so tap very lightly. You should drive a 1¼” screw at an angle that goes through the joist, the shim, and that goes into the subfloor. Another good practice is to use construction adhesive on both sides of the joist and the subfloor after you screw in the shim.
Fixing a Squeak from Floor Boards Rubbing from Below
If your floors are squeaking and it is not near a joist than the squeak is probably caused by floor boards rubbing together. A temporary fix for this is sprinkling talcum powder around the squeaky boards. To fix the squeak correctly you will want to drill a pilot hole ½” shorter than the thickness of the subfloor and flooring combined from underneath and use a screw ¼” shorter than the thickness of the subfloor and flooring combined. You can check the thickness of the flooring and subfloor by removing a floor register and using a tape measure. You will then want to drill screws 6 inches apart in the squeaky area to silence the creaky floors.
Fixing a Squeak if You Can Only Access from the Top
If you do not have access underneath the floors and have access to the joists than you will have to fix the squeak from the top by screwing the subfloor to the joist. The trick to doing this without damaging the floor is by using very long trim nails. You will want to use two nails at opposite angles to secure it to the joist. You want to set your nail gun so that the nail is pushed beneath the surface of the floor and then use wood filler to fill in the hole. If you are refinishing the floors, you will not even be able to tell that this was done if you nail it prior to refinishing.
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