Creaky Floor.. how to stop it..>?

Question

I live in an old house with wooden floors... The floor boards on the landing are horribly creaky and getting worse. I could swap them out / screw them down, however there is very expensive carpet glued to the floor that is impossible to take up without distroying it. Any ideas how I can stop the floor creaking without removing the carpet.... (there is no access from underneath either...)

Answer 1

"SHIMS"; often Cedar; Cypress; etc. ; and if you have access to the beams UNDER the floor.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

Unfortunately you have to remove the carpet. The carpet on the landing should be in 1 piece. You don' have to remove all the carpet on the stairs. Use a wide, stiff blade, putty knife. It should not be that hard to remove. You can then nail or screw down the loose boards. When your done, re cement the carpet. To bad you don't have access.

Answer 3

Go to a good DIY shop and buy some floor board nails and a detector, that will detect wood joists, nails, electrical wiring and pipes. Use this to detect your joists and cables and then you can drive floor board nails in safely without damaging anything. Floor board nails are special as they have ridges to stop them coming back out under normal use. Good luck!

Answer 4

Finish nails directly through the carpet. Works everytime.

Answer 5

Talcum powder brushed into the gaps, or drip candle wax down the gaps and brush clean after?

Oils will stain the wood but if you have carpet over them and dont mind, then use some linseed oil..... try a little first and see.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

you can try to gently use a wallpaper knife,trying to drive into fllor finish only,leaving floor finish with carpet,then roll it up,try prying up floor boards to see if there is evidence of termite damage,then if not,replace floor boards if you want with screws after you use orbital sander on base wood that flooring sits on