2006-12-30 00:48:31 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
They squeak because they are not properly installed. Proper installation is to glue and screw the boards in position. When nails are used, the boards are free to move up and down, depending on pressure, on the nails.
Some remedies I have heard but am unsure of the success in them are to put baby powder on the floor and work it between the boards (don't see how it helps), or to gain access to the underside of the floor - first, see if glue can be injected between the joist and the floorboards. The idea being that board movement due to pressure will be minimized. OR , you have to be careful here, get wood screws just long enough for the job without being long enough to penetrate the upper surface of the floor, attach these to the joist, through/into the floor boards. This will require some measure of precision, an angular attachment of the wood screws through the joist and partially into the floor boards.
2006-12-30 00:59:38 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Modern construction uses plywood nailed to the floor joists, which is called the subfloor. Construction adhesive is first applied to the joists to quiet the floor. The finished floor is installed on the subfloor, whether it is wood, carpet, or tile. Sometimes the construction adhesive is omitted or not properly applied, leading to squeaking. Or sometimes the joist is warped or undersized, so that it doesn't contact the subfloor properly.
I'm not sure from your question whether floor boards refer to a plywood subfloor or to a hardwood floor. If you have access to the plywood subfloor, I suggest you screw 1 5/8" drywall screws every 6" into the floor joists. Normally floor joists are 16" apart, as measured along the 8' dimension of the plywood.
If you have a hardwood floor, it may not have been installed correctly. You'll have to add nails through the floor into the subfloor. Unfortunately this will leave nail holes that you'll have to putty and finish. A finish nail gun will leave the minimum sized hole.
It's a bigger problem if you have a hardwood floor but it is the subfloor that is squeaking. You'll have to go under the floor and glue a 2x4 to the underside of the plywood and against the floor joist using construction adhesive liberally on both surfaces. Then nail the 2x4 into the joist using 16d (16 penny) nails.
2006-12-30 03:51:46 · answer #2 · answered by Tech Dude 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They squeak because it's an old house. You have to get a new floor put down. If you don't want to mess with all of that, thick padding under carpet helps some.
2006-12-30 00:52:47 · answer #3 · answered by MsFancy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they squeak because they are moving when you walk over them making them squeak. The key is to find the areas that are squeaky and nail them down better. Also refinishing the floor would not hurt either.
2006-12-30 00:56:34 · answer #4 · answered by michael p 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
change in moisture levels make the boards shrink and expand. Keep you home humidified if you live in an area of the country that experiences winter. Check out the particular board(s) that creak, a few extra nails may help also
2006-12-30 00:57:58 · answer #5 · answered by Dee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can sometimes stop them squeeking by hammering more nails in at the ends to hold them down, through the floorboard into the joist. However, you need a pipe/cable detector to be sure you're not hammering a nail into a central heating pipe or electric cable.
2006-12-30 00:56:30 · answer #6 · answered by ricochet 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
this is not a joke,seriously,If you put talcum powder over the offending area,it will stop squeaking
2006-12-30 01:06:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its a old house replace the floor, install carpet ect
2006-12-30 00:57:21 · answer #8 · answered by Domino's Mom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋