How to Stop a Squeaky Floor

So you’re walking across the floor in your home when all of a sudden you hear that unforgettable noise. Squeak! Every time you walk over that area that lovely squeak comes from some hidden spot under the floor. You have started to learn to live with it when someone says, “You’re floor squeaks, did you know that?” So it’s begun to drive you crazy. But how can you fix that endless squeak? There are several ways to stop the squeak. In this article, I will outline several methods for stopping a floor squeak and even a few for preventing them if you’re laying down wood flooring.

If you have carpet over your squeak, you’re in luck. It’s not as hard to fix a squeaking floor underneath carpet. You will need to detach the carpet from the carpet tacks against the wall first. Roll back the carpet and the padding underneath. Locate the exact position of the squeak by stepping around that area with small steps until you are sure that the squeak has been located. Is it coming from two joining pieces of plywood? If so, then the plywood has been installed to tightly. You can remedy this by inserting several shims into the crack to pry the rubbing boards apart. If that is to difficult use a skill saw and set the depth of the blade to Ã?½ inch and scribe the crack with the saw. If the squeak still hasn’t stopped in the crack between the plywood, then set the saw at Ã?¾ inch and cut through the entire plywood surface. If your squeak still exists, your squeak isn’t coming from the crack.

If you have a plywood floor that’s secured with nails, this may be your culprit. Step on each nail hole and test to see if the noise is coming from one of the nails. If so, locate the nail and use a cat’s paw to remove the nail from the decking. If it’s too deep, you may be able to hammer the nail in completely with a nail set. That should do the trick if it’s a nail. If it still has a squeak, then it’s not a nail.

Using the walk about method as described above locate the squeak. Find the joists below by looking for nailing or screwing patterns in the plywood. Insert several 3 �½-inch screws into the joists below. Screw them down tightly until the head of the screw recess into the plywood. If it still has a slight squeak, you can go underneath the joists and drive a shim in between the plywood and the joists. These methods will stop any squeak on a carpeted floor. Pull back the carpet and use a knee kicker to re-stretch the carpet back onto the carpet tacks.

If you have a wood floor, this is a much more difficult procedure. You will need to locate the squeak. It may be that two floorboards are rubbing to tightly, or a loose nail. There are one of two methods available to fix this. Find the squeak under the floor and joist. While having someone step on the squeak, drive a 2 1/2 inch screw into the above flooring. It may take several screws so use as many as it takes to stop the squeak. If you can’t access the floor from below, as in the case of a concrete floor, you will need to pry the floorboards apart at the squeak. It may cause some damage to the floor, so you will need to refinish the floor surface. Using a small flat bar and hammer, pry the squeaking boards apart. Place a shim in each side of the pry bar and remove the pry bar. Squirt baby powder into the crack. It’s even better if you can find graphite; this will create a lasting lubrication for the squeaking boards. Break off the shims and use matching wood putty to repair the gap between the floorboards. Sand and refinish the floor with matching sealant.