How to Fix Shaky Floors

Floors can shake for a variety of reasons such as poor construction, improper installation or even settling of the foundation. However, floors that shake are usually comprised of laminate flooring material manufactured to look like tile or hardwood. These are known as "floating floors" and are not nailed down or glued to the concrete subfloor underneath. Instead, these floors use interlocking planks or tiles that lock together. The flooring is held in place by the walls and the trim installed along the walls. If a piece of trim comes loose or one of the planks comes unlocked, it will feel shaky.

Pry bar
Claw hammer
Molding trim nails

Instructions

- 1
  Determine where the source of the problem lies. Look carefully around the base of the walls in the room for trim that has come loose from the wall. In addition, look for any planks that shift back and forth when walked on.
- 2
  Pull the loose trim off the wall carefully using a pry bar. Pick up the planks around any loose flooring by hand. These will simply snap free.
- 3
  Remove any nails protruding from the wall where the trim was attached with a claw hammer.
- 4
  Replace the planks as they were situated before, but ensure the planks snap or lock together as you reassemble the flooring. The edges of the float floor should touch or nearly touch the closest wall where you pried the trim away.
- 5
  Attach the trim back against the wall. Place it directly over and on the top of the floating floor planks touching or near the wall. Use molding trim nails and a claw hammer.
- 6
  Step away from the trim and walk about the room where the floor was shaky to make certain it no longer shifts or shakes.

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