What Does It Mean When House Floors Make Creaking Noises?

Age and Quality

• Old wood that’s begun to sag with age can slide along nails and other pieces of the floor to create creaking and squeaky sounds as you walk. This can happen to wood that forms the base underneath carpet or finished wood planks, or to the top layer of finished wood itself. It’s also possible the builder used materials such as particleboard in place of thicker wood in some parts of the floor, and the particleboard is now moving when you step on it because it isn’t as strong as wood planks. Finally, the joists, or the beams of wood that run along and support the underside of the floor, can be uneven, resulting in a space underneath the wood that allows the floor to sag.

Solutions

• If the sagging that leads to the creaking sounds is due to some sort of space, say between a floorboard and a joist, adding a wooden shim to fill the space will help stop the floorboard from heading downward when you step on it. Hardware stores often sell kits that allow you to fill the space and anchor the floorboard to the joist, too. Fixing a floorboard in these situations requires access to the space underneath the floor, such as in a basement. If you do not have that luxury, This Old House notes you can also find kits that allow you to screw the floorboard down onto a joist while cutting off the head of the screw, which is handy if you are dealing with a carpeted surface.

Termites

• While old wood and loose chipboard are very common causes of creaky flooring, termite infestations are another possible cause. As the termites eat into the wood underneath your floorboards, they create tunnels that weaken the joists and boards, resulting in the floors sagging and possibly cracking when you step on them. If the creaking gets worse or if you live in an area prone to termite infestations, this could be what’s causing the creaking.

Cautions

• Do not try to remove termite-infested wood yourself. Get a termite control company to evaluate the size of the infestation and get rid of the insects before you do anything to the wood. If you have one damaged area, you could have others that just haven’t become damaged enough to start making sounds. If severe damage has occurred, you may be better off calling in a contractor to take care of the resulting structural damage if you do not have the experience yourself. Also keep in mind that even simple wood repair procedures can have their own risks, including toxic fumes; the Family Handyman website warns this is especially true of construction adhesive. Always wear the appropriate safety gear, including goggles and the required type of respirator.