How To Fix Squeaky Floors

Squeaky floors tend to start out as a very slight noise which is as much amusing as anything else. Unfortunately, they don’t tend to get better by themselves and, as time passes, the squeaks will get worse.

It may be a great warning system, but you need to know how to fix squeaky falls. The good news is that you should be able to fix a squeak in less than 30 minutes.

What Causes The Squeak

Wood expands and contracts with heat and moisture. Unfortunately, this places stress on the wood. It doesn’t matter what type of wood it is, or whether you have classic herringbone timber flooring or simpler laminate, the wood on your floor can expand and contract.

The result is that the floor lifts slightly away from the beams that it is sitting on. Then, every time you walk on that piece of wood it has movement. Your weight pushes the board back into place and causes it to squeak.

Fixing It

If you can get under the floor then repairing it is very easy. Start by heading into the space beneath your squeak. You may need assistance to pinpoint exactly where the squeak is. Your assistant will need to walk over the squeaking board several times and then stand directly on it when you say so, this will give you the exact placement of the squeak.

You’ll then be able to look with a torch to see if there is a gap between the floor and the beam, it doesn’t matter how small the gap that’s what will be causing the noise.

Simply put a little carpenter’s glue onto a wooden shim and slide it above the beam and under the squeaky board. You don’t need to hammer it or push it too far, just enough to be touching. You can get your assistant to verify the squeak has vanished.

Leave the glue to dry while you look for other potential squeaks and do the same thing.

However, if the gap between the beam and floor turns out to be a long one and not just a piece of wood, then you need to fill the gap with construction adhesive. Make sure you force the adhesive as far into the space as possible.

Another option is to place a piece of wood under the squeaky floor and nail the wall to the squeaky board and the ones on each side.  This will give it more support and should stop the squeak. This is a great option if your floor is starting to warp or twist, which can happen when they dry out and age. This approach can also be used if you can’t get under the squeaking floorboard.

Simply lift one floorboard and slide the supporting piece of wood into position. You’ll have to support it as you screw into the support from above.

It’s worth noting there are also special kits that allow you to screw through the floor and into a joist. The screw is specially designed so that the screw isn’t visible above the subfloor.