I live in a house built in 1947 with original oak floors, how can I get them to stop squeaking?

Answer 1

Genevieve is partly right. One way of fixing it is to get underneath your floor if the boards are nailed directly to the floor joists and not to a subfloor and to insert a shim between the board and the floor joist.

What's causing your board to squeak is that is is moving up and down when you step on the board, causing the board to rub up and down on the nail or the board next to it and make the squeaking sound. What you have to do is prevent the board from moving up and down to truly fix the problem.

Yes, you could use a screw and a plug, but I think that makes a shoddy looking repair. Another way you could fix the board and it not look so shody is to get a rib-shanked finishing nail and nail it into the floorboard. Professionals will normally pull the old loose nail out first. Then you get a rib-shanked finishing nail that is a size or two larger than the original nail. You want one a size or two larger so that you make sure the nail doesn't pull out.

A rib-shanked finishing nail has rings on the end of the nail to prevent the nail from working loose. A finishing nail works better because you can use a nail punch to recess the nail head below the wood so it is not as noticable. Then take a little wood puddy that matches your wood finish and fill in the recess. Just make sure your nail goes into the floor joist or sub-floor. By using the old nail hole it should go into the floor joist unless the original nailer nailed it wrong.

Answer 2

We, too, have oak floors and an old house. Unfortunately, the floors are put down then the walls so removing the floor will be difficult. What I would do in your case is contact Lowe's or another company like that and ask them. Short of putting in a few more nails (countersunk)and wood putty mixed with your stain in the holes. I have no other answer. We have learned to love the few we have. Our main problem is the entire chimney is falling slowly and may end up in our living room. While it does this it cracks our walls and unlevels floors-my hubby, who can do the work, just had a knee replacement. It kinda puts squeeky floors in perspective doesn't it.

Answer 3

If the ceiling on the underside isn't finished (like if there's no drywall covering the floor joists for the 1st floor when you go down to the basement), find the culprit board and fix it from underneath. They used nails back then, and nails in old wood have the ability to slide back and forth. So something as simple as woodglue if you can squeeze it in the right spot will work. I've even just slipped a piece of cardboard that came inside a shirt into between the wood floor and the joist at the right spot, with wood glue on both the top and the bottom. Worked like a charm.

If you ask my husband, his answer is to drill a hole into the board from the top and drive a screw into it. I just have a problem with a screw and wood putty on my hardwood floors.

Answer 4

Squeaks are easiest to fix if you can get at them from under the floor--from a basement or crawl space, for example.

Figure out what element of the floor is squeaking by asking someone to walk on it while you watch for movement from below.

* If there is a gap between a joist and the subflooring, drive a glue-coated shingle or shim between the joist and subfloor.

* If the joist is sagging and the subfloor is flat, cut a piece off of a 2-by-4
to extend 12 inches beyond the gap on either side. Nail it to one side of the joist.

* Squeaks coming from between joists may be caused by inadequate bridging. Renail any loose planks and, if necessary, install a reinforcing piece of bridging against the subfloor.
* Finish flooring that does not fit flush with the subfloor can be tightened from below. Drive screws through the two from below with washers to ensure that the screws will not be pulled into the subfloor.

When you cannot access flooring from below, nail finish flooring to the subfloor, using ring-shank flooring nails at an angle. Drill angled pilot holes first so that the wood does not split. Fill any visible holes above the nails with wood putty or wood plugs made for the job.

Answer 5

The better answers are the Shim process, and possibly adding to that; expanable aerosol foam, if you have access to the joists under the floor.

Don't nail or screw unless you can toenail and hide it. Certainly you should determine how the flooring was installed/attached in the first place.

Nail holes naturally "wallow" out over time, and since you're talking about a floor system that's 60 years old, I suspect age and use is the major issue. I guess I'd be checking the condition of the beams under the subfloor as well, IF a subfloor even exists. If it's just the original planks on the beams the job might be easier and certainly restoration would be well worth the effort.

Steven Wolf

Answer 6

Check out the boards that are squeaking, probably a bit loose, take out nails and use screws. Any hardware shop will sell them

Answer 7

When you wax them, force the wax into the seams. Lots of wax and then do it again. It worked in my house built in 1950.

Check for loose boards and fasten them down, too.

Answer 8

loose weight
only jokeing you go underneath and chock them with wedges, dont screw them it wil ruin the aesthetic value,

if you cant get underneath you need to lift them and repack them with a tyre innertube rubber or hard foam product you may even use silicone

Answer 9

drill hole & inject liquid wood glue into squeak

Answer 10

hey say sprinkling baby powder works so try that first! LOL