No matter how beautiful a wood floor is, squeaks and creaks can turn it into a nerve-racking nuisance. Curing floor noises is sometimes difficult and tedious, but there are a number of steps do-it-yourselfers can take.
One of the easiest treatments, which works sometimes and is always worth a try, is to “lubricate” the cracks and joints of the floor in noisy areas. Lubrication will sometimes stop floor noises, because the noises generally are caused by slight movements and rubbing of the floor boards against other wood or nails. Talcum powder, swept into the cracks in noisy areas, is sometimes used as the lubricant.
Powdered graphite, sold in squeeze bottles at most home centers and hardware stores, is another excellent lubricant. Graphite can be messy to use and is relatively expensive, so it should be carefully injected into cracks where noises seem to originate. Still another option is silicone spray, sold in cans.
Use care to get lubricant only in the cracks; any lubricant on the surface can be slippery and hazardous.
If lubricants don’t work, here are some other options:
– Renailing. Exposed wood floors (no carpet or other covering) can sometimes be silenced by renailing the boards that are moving and causing the noise. Locate noisy areas by walking around on the floor and marking them with chalk or masking tape. Use 2 1/2-inch flooring nails for renailing and, if possible, nail into the joists or supporting framework of the floor.
If the noise is between joists, nail into the subfloor, the layer of plywood or rough boards under the finish flooring. Joists, which are generally 16 inches apart, can often be located by lightly thumping on the floor with a hammer until a solid sound is heard.
If the floor has a basement under it where the joists are visible, check to learn their direction and general location. Drill a pilot hole, slightly smaller in diameter than the nail, for each nail. Slant the holes and nails slightly so the nails get a better grip in the wood underneath. Using pairs of nails, slanted so they form rough Vs, is effective.
Drive the head of the nails slightly under the surface of the wood, using a nail countersink, and fill the holes with wood putty that matches the color of the floor.
– Tightening from underneath. This is often effective if the floor is over a basement and there is access from underneath. Stand under the squeaky floor and have someone walk over it so noisy areas can be located from below. Again, mark with chalk or tape.
Examine the subfloor (the finish floor isn’t visible from underneath, of course) to see whether there are gaps between the subfloor and joists in a noisy area. If there are gaps, which permit wood movement, drive thin, wedge-shaped wood shims into them to fill the space. Packs of shims are sold at home centers and lumber yards.
If shimming doesn’t stop the noises in any area, try adding “bridging” or supports between the joists. Bridging often consists of strips of 1-by-4-inch wood nailed diagonally from the top of one joist to the bottom of the adjacent joist. It is generally installed in pairs so the two boards form an X.
Check existing bridging in the basement to see how it is installed. (Metal bridging, which is easier to nail, also is available at some building-supply outlets.)
A simple but strong type of bridging can be made by cutting a length of 2-by-6 construction lumber so it fits snugly between adjacent joists under the noisy area. Nail the support between the joists so the top edge rests firmly against the subfloor.
Special brackets also are available to tighten flooring from underneath.
– Carpeted floors. These are a special problem. If there is access from underneath, try the measures described above. If there is no basement access, squeaks can sometimes be silenced with special screws that are driven through the carpet and flooring into the joists with a power drill. A kit with 50 screws and a special tool for guiding the screws is available for about $28 from Improvements (Item 110189, 800-642-2112). The tops of the screws can be broken off and the carpet fluffed up so the screws are not visible and there is little or no damage.
