what can i doo about creaky floors throughout my house? seems excessive dryness would cause this?

Question

my basement is very dry and the mortar in the old foundation is even dry and deteriorating and will need attention soon.

Answer 1

nope nope and nope.... having a dry basement will not cause your floor to squeak.

Ive repaired, literally, hundreds of floor squeaks. So, I am very surprised to see a "certified home inspector" suggesting that you just screw another piece of wood from underneath the floor. If you are dead set on just sticking another piece of wood underneath your subfloor... use construction adhesive! Glue the length of wood to the floor joist, and pre-glue the top of it, so that it adheres to the subflooring. This lasts much longer than just screwing a stick of wood to the underside.

Ok.... here are some typical causes of floor squeaks....

The subfloor has seperated from the floor joist. This often happens if the subfloor was nailed or stapled in place. The nail or staple backs out a bit, letting the subfloor actually pop up just a bit... then, when you step on it.... it squeaks as it rubs the nail or staple.

The floor joist itself, is damaged. Sometimes you get a floor joist that has split, and will often make a noise as the two sections rub against each other.... this sounds more like a 'creak' tho, than a squeak.

If you have an older home, with slat flooring, instead of plywood subfloor, then the slats, may have warped, so that they are rubbing against each other. Or, you could have a raised nail, as in the first example.

Ive seen talcum powder recommended often as a 'simple fix' for this type of problem. If you have a LOT (as in the 'whole floor, everywhere you step') of squeaks with this type of floor, I seriously recommend stripping the surface cover off, and repair the wood from above.

I'll take a moment here, to mention one more type of floor noise, for those who have mobile homes.... the lag bolt holding the steel frame to the floor joists can often come loose. Tighten the lag bolt, and it will eliminate this type of floor noise.

For homes with plywood subfloors, I recommend using a product called SquakEnder... this is a bracket that is specifically designed to eliminate floor noises. And it is MUCH more effective than simply screwing a piece of wood to the underside of your floor. Here is the link to their web page... on it, you will find several models of the product, that will help with various problems..... they are easy to install, and very cost effective (the Squeak Ender runs about $7). You can find them in the flooring department of Lowes, and other building supply stores...even some hardware stores carry them.

These things WORK.

http://www.squeakender.com/html/squeak.html
http://www.squeakender.com/

Have Fun!

Answer 2

Wood contains moisture when you buy it. When putting together a floor system, usually the subfloor and wood floor are nailed to the floor joists. Over time, the wood shrinks allowing the nails to slide in the hole that used to be larger. This creates the squeaking noises. During higher humidity weather, the floor system will hold moisture and the holes will swell, thus making the squeak less noisy or gone altoghether. Generally, screwing the subfloor to the joists is better, but this can only be done before the finish flooring is installed.

You can improve the squeaking by installing small strips of wood (1x2 or 2x2) to the floor joist and screwing up into the subfloor. This will tighten the subfloor to the joists. You must be careful to use appropriate sized screws in order to stay below the surface of the flooring. There are other systems that you can buy which utilize metal strapping, but this could be costly.

Answer 3

In most cases the three wood floor members (the joist, subfloor and finished hardwood) have separated, and the nails binding them are moving in the nail holes. A little dust in these nail shafts makes the boards squeak. That’s why talc, wax and graphite offer a temporary solution.

Answer 4

tsk tsk tsk, should have glued and screwed the subfloor!