What Causes Hardwood Floors to Start Squeaking?

Settling

• As houses age, they settle. Wood floors are no different. Wooden stairs, especially, squeak as they age. Stairs consist of many small pieces of wood. These pieces all expand and contract with the weather, until they fit together loosely. If rot develops, it can cause squeaking by eroding the subflooring. If the basement contains a crawl space that lacks a plastic barrier, a ground floor home is more susceptible to rot-related floor noises.

Shrinkage

• Wooden joists in your home shrink over time. Hardwood floorboards nailed to these joists slowly come loose as the joists shrink away from the wood. This leaves loose screws or nails and gives the floorboards room to flex, causing noises. If the boards are nailed securely to the subfloor, but the subfloor itself is not nailed tightly to the joists, the floor will begin squeaking.

Securing Boards

• Secure a loose subfloor at home to stop shrinkage. Go to the basement and have someone walk on the floor. Mark squeaking joists with a pencil. Coat a thin wood shim with carpenter's glue, and jimmy the shim into the space between the loose subfloor and the joist. Using a drill, put a 1-1/4 inch drywall screw through the joist into the subfloor as insurance. If you suspect loose nails, hammer nails back into the joist. Drill 2-inch drywall screws down into the joist every 12 inches to provide additional support.

Additional Products

• If the whole floor makes noises, purchase a few squeak-enders to silence the room. These threads brackets go beneath the joists to tighten up subflooring. Try breakaway screws to help secure loose floor boards into the flooring if you have wall-to-wall carpet over the wood floor or need to fix a floor from above.