How to Fix a Floorboard Under a Carpet

Tap the carpet with a hammer and listen where the floor does not sound hollow, where you notice the floor squeak. Insert a special joist-finding screw into your drill. Drill through the carpet and into the floor where there is a joist. If you miss the joist, simply reverse the drill and pull out the joist-finding screw. Move the screw over a few inches and drill through the carpet and floor again. Once you find the joist, leave the drill and screw in the floor.

Place the end of the tape measure where the joist-finding screw is in the floor and extend it to 24 inches. Pull the joist-finding screw out of the floor with the drill and drill through the carpet and floor at the 16-inch mark. Leave the tape measure on the floor.

Put a piece of masking tape near the end of the tape measure and the 16-inch mark. Remove the tape measure and reverse the joist-finding screw out of the floor.

Position the center of the tripod from the repair kit over the masking tape. Insert the driver bit from the kit into your drill. The tip of the driver bit has a Phillips head within a socket.

Insert the scored screw into the center of the tripod. Stand over the tripod with your feet on each side. This compresses the floor sheathing to the top of the joist. Drive the scored screw into the floor with the drill until the bit socket hits the flange inside the tripod, preventing the screw from being driven deeper into the floor.

Pick the tripod off the floor and turn it on its side so the notch on the top of the tripod leg faces the screw head. Slide the notch on the tripod over the screw head and tilt it toward the floor. This breaks the screw at the score on the shank below the carpeting. Repeat for the joist at the 16-inch mark.