How to Fix a Creak in the Floor in a Trailer

Creaks Under Carpet

• 1

  Determine the origin of the creaking by walking over the floor slowly. The creaking in your trailer can occur when you apply pressure to any area along the full length of a floor joist. Determine the location of the underlying floor joist with an electronic stud finder. Mark the length of the joist with a long strip of masking tape.

• 2

  Start at one end of the suspect joist. Work the tip of a casing nail between the weave of the carpet, using your masking tape as a guide. Casing nails, also called finishing nails, have tiny heads that allow you to drive them all the way through the carpet and into the wood. Hammer the casing nail firmly into the floor.

• 3

  Continue to nail the subflooring to the joist in this manner, driving a casing nail in every 8 inches along the length of the joist.

Creaks Below Vinyl Flooring

• 4

  Locate the origin of your floor creak by walking slowly over the floor and using a stud finder to create an outline of the underlying floor joist. Press a strip of tape along the length of the underlying joist.

• 5

  Hammer 2-inch casing nails along the strip of tape, creating a firm connection between the joist and the subflooring. Use a nail set to drive the small heads of the casing nails slightly below the surface of the vinyl flooring.

• 6

  Scrub the nailed area of vinyl flooring with a sponge and a solution of warm soapy water. Rinse well and allow the floor to dry completely.

• 7

  Use vinyl patching putty in a shade that most closely matches your vinyl flooring. Place small dabs of the patching putty into the nail holes with a putty knife, wiping off any excess to create a smooth surface that helps hide the area of repair.