Tips to Quiet Squeaky Floors

Causes of Squeaky Floors

• Squeaky floors can occur when floorboards become loose over time and rub up against each other. Loose nails in hardwood floors also cause movement in the boards, resulting in a squeaking sound. Wood floors can become loose over time, or a poor installation can cause squeaking on a newer floor, as well.

The Squeak Location

• To repair the floor, you will have to determine the exact floorboards or nails that are loose. For those with access to the basement or a crawl space under the floor, pinpointing the noise requires two people. Have someone walk across the floor to determine the area where the floor squeaks. If you don’t have access to the basement or crawl space, you can find the source of the noise from above, also.

Repairing Below the Floorboards

• Shimming the gaps between the floorboards and the joist is a simple solution to stop the movement and the squeak. Cover the shim with carpenter’s glue to ensure it stays in place after your repair. According to This Old House, a drywall screw screwed through the floor joist, shim and floorboard above can add strength to the repair.

Carpeted Floors

• You can stop a squeak on a carpeted floor without removing the carpet. When repairing the floor under a carpet, a stud finder will help you locate the floor joist beneath the floorboards. Use a galvanized finish nail to secure the board to the joist and pull the carpet up over the nail. Pulling the carpet up will hide the repair work.