Does anyone have any tips for fixing floor squeaks? My floors throughout the house are hardwood tongue and groove on top of horizontal one by eight subfloor. I’ve tried 6d 2” finishing nails, with no luck. The Lowes and Depot sell the Squeeeeek no more kits; no luck. I could have left the green shag carpet, as it muffled them pretty good, but man, it gave me nightmares about Disco music. There are too many squeaky boards for mechanical repairs like nails anyway. I thought about sanding and polyurethane clear coat might soak down into the cracks, but I don’t want to do all that work for no good results. Plus I’m too out of shape for that job. We’re trying to get the joint ready to sell and those squeaks would be a real turn off. I’d have the joint carpeted again but the floors are really nice for 70 years old, plus somebody else may not like it and I would have wasted my money. Anyone with this experience know anything? Thanks!
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Squeaky floors repair?
- Thread starter jeffrefrig
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Two methods I know:
Sand the floor, vacuum thoroughly and spread talc. Walk the floor to get talc into the grooves, vacuum out the excess and refinish.
Or
#6 trim head deck screws, counterbored and wood plugs to cover.
No easy fixes, sorry.
Sand the floor, vacuum thoroughly and spread talc. Walk the floor to get talc into the grooves, vacuum out the excess and refinish.
Or
#6 trim head deck screws, counterbored and wood plugs to cover.
No easy fixes, sorry.
Kenna
Member
It may also be the subfloor squeaking. shimming like stated above may help.
Shims work.
Have someone above tap on the floor to locate the spot. Nails miss the joists.
Have someone above tap on the floor to locate the spot. Nails miss the joists.
LOL!! I think the shims and deck screws idea - maybe one of the GRK Fin trim with small heads would work in hardwood - might do the trick.
When we built my current place, we ran PL400 adhesive along the 10" joists before fastening down the subfloor. No way will that ever squeak!
444 Magnum
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A couple of different options depending on accessibility.
https://youtu.be/3iAseVZZKlY?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/08bnj5JNb5M?feature=shared
Deck screws were mentioned above. I wouldn't use those. The head is too large and the screws are week.
If you don't use the breakaway floor screws in the first video (they're available on Amazon), then I would use stainless trim screws with small heads. Countersink and fill. No plugs.
My two cents.
https://youtu.be/3iAseVZZKlY?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/08bnj5JNb5M?feature=shared
Deck screws were mentioned above. I wouldn't use those. The head is too large and the screws are week.
If you don't use the breakaway floor screws in the first video (they're available on Amazon), then I would use stainless trim screws with small heads. Countersink and fill. No plugs.
My two cents.
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It’s the subfloor sliding up and down on the nails that hold it in place.Notice how in new construction the deck is glued and nailed? that’s why.There’s no good solution for it. Market it as character?
LVSteve
Member
Squeaks in a 70-year old house? Color me not entirely shocked.
coltle6920
Member
A Realtor might offer an opinion on how it might affect the sale. Take advantage of their expertise and don't waste money over things that may or may not be an issue. We are talking about a 70yr old house. The cost of having it fixed if necessary could also be negotiated in the sale price.
Tell people it's a built in security system to detect intruders.
Tell people it's a built in security system to detect intruders.
OP
The house is two stories with a basement, only half the basement is accessible, as the other half is the garage. I was thinking about the talc powder, but I didn't know about how slippery it would be before I completed everything. I like the idea about the "character" of the house! Maybe I can put the Messuza (I can't spell that word, but I still have the one from the first owners) back up at the front door for originality. I thought about it being the subfloor, too. If that's the case, burglar alarm/character will be popular words.
I appreciate all the help. Thank you
I appreciate all the help. Thank you
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What’s your humidity? If it’s low, getting it up to about 50% should help.
Pisgah
Member
I've had squeaky floors for years and nothing worked to quiet them -- until I started going deaf...
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I know this sounds silly but when I lived on LI and had a 60 year old Colonial home, the steps and floors did creek a little - but it was a pleasing sound to me. I don't know why, but it sort of gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling as I walked through the house. Some may think it was laziness but it did not bother me in the least and I actually liked it. WEIRD!!
The floors in my new home (1 floor) are all reinforce concrete and porcelain tile. No creaking - just a constant battle with keeping the white grout clean. We just spent $800 two weeks ago to clean and seal the grout. I guess that is going to be a recurring expense every other year. We entertain quite a bit and although I stay on top of spills and stains, white grout doesn't stay white too long. While we did seal the grout, it makes little difference IMHO.
The floors in my new home (1 floor) are all reinforce concrete and porcelain tile. No creaking - just a constant battle with keeping the white grout clean. We just spent $800 two weeks ago to clean and seal the grout. I guess that is going to be a recurring expense every other year. We entertain quite a bit and although I stay on top of spills and stains, white grout doesn't stay white too long. While we did seal the grout, it makes little difference IMHO.
taz666
Member
If you go the talc route ... spread it evenly on one area and cover it with a tarp ... walk on it for awhile .. like a few days. See if that works. Using a floor oil is another option to help swell the floor a bit while lubricating the joints.
Good Luck.
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Now if you were a samurai back in the day, you would deliberately have your floors built to squeak: You don't want intruders sneaking up on you in the dark.
(You'd also build your hallways with low ceilings so that if those squeaking intruders tried to raise up their swords to attack you, their blades would get stuck in the ceiling. But I guess that's a solution for another thread.)
(You'd also build your hallways with low ceilings so that if those squeaking intruders tried to raise up their swords to attack you, their blades would get stuck in the ceiling. But I guess that's a solution for another thread.)
If it makes you feel any better...
We had a good number of squeaks in our large home. The sub-floor wasn't installed with liquid nails as should be to prevent squeaks.
When we stripped all the carpet out to install new flooring, I spent a good amount of time attempting to eliminate all the sub-floor squeaks.
I got about 80% of them. It's much better, but they seem to return at different times according to the temp changes.
I'll just call it character.
,
We had a good number of squeaks in our large home. The sub-floor wasn't installed with liquid nails as should be to prevent squeaks.
When we stripped all the carpet out to install new flooring, I spent a good amount of time attempting to eliminate all the sub-floor squeaks.
I got about 80% of them. It's much better, but they seem to return at different times according to the temp changes.
I'll just call it character.
,
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