how to fix squeaky floors

low section of man standing on hardwood floor

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If you live in a home with squeaky floors, then you know just how maddening and irritating those sounds can be—especially when trying to sneak downstairs for a midnight snack. And while squeaky floors and creaky stairs might be more common in older homes, newer homes are not exempt. These irksome high-pitched noises can be found in homes of any age with any type of flooring.

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Loose wooden floorboards are often the cause of annoying squeaks, but even carpeted rooms can be noisy if the plywood subfloor isn't firmly attached to the joists. Fortunately silencing squeaky floors is straightforward, relatively inexpensive, and it usually can be completed in less than 10 minutes using one of these seven strategies.

Insert Shims Into Gaps

Silencing squeaky floors is much easier if you have access to the space beneath the floor via a basement or crawl space. Go below the room with the squeaky floor and have someone slowly walk back and forth across the floor. Listen carefully and as soon as you hear a squeak, ask the person to stop and step down on the exact spot again.

Once you pinpoint the exact location of the squeak, use a flashlight to see if there's a gap between the top of the floor joist and the underside of the subfloor. (You may have to remove some insulation to get a clear view.) If a gap is visible—no matter how small—spread some carpenter's glue onto a thin wood shim and push it into the gap.

Don't hammer in the shim and be careful not to force it in too far; you might accidentally raise the subfloor, creating a hump in the floor above. The purpose of the shim is to just fill the void and prevent the floor from moving up and down, which will oftentimes silence the squeak. Repeat the above process to insert shims into gaps at other squeaky spots. And be sure to check both sides of the joist at each squeaky location. Sometimes the gap is only visible on one side of the joist.

Once the glue has dried completely, trim the shims flush with the joists by first scoring them with a utility knife and then snapping them off. If the shim is too thick to easily score and snap, trim it with an oscillating multi-tool fitted with a plunge-cutting wood blade.

Fill Long Gaps With Construction Adhesive

While a thin wood shim is effective at silencing an isolated squeak at a specific spot, if you find a long gap running the length of a floor joist, it wouldn't make sense to install a whole series of shims. Instead, fill long gaps, cracks and voids with a thick bead of fast-set construction adhesive. Use a caulking gun to force the adhesive directly into the space between the top of the joist and the underside of the subfloor.

And check for gaps on both sides of the joist. If you find a gap on the other side, fill it with adhesive, too. Once the adhesive hardens, it'll prevent movement in the floor and stop the creaking noise.

Nail a Board Along a Warped Joist

Floor joists can occasionally twist, warp, bow, or shrink, especially if they were damp when installed. As a result, a space opens up between the joist and the plywood subfloor. Then, when someone walks across the floor, the flooring and/or subfloor moves up and down and rubs on the nails or screws, causing squeaking sounds.

Fix the problem by installing a long Douglas fir 2x4 alongside the problem joist. Start by applying a continuous bead of construction adhesive along the top edge of the 2x4. Then press it flat against the joist and slide it up tight against the underside of subfloor. Rap on the bottom edge of the 2x4 several times with a hammer to ensure it's tight against the subfloor. Then, secure the 2x4 to the joist with 3-inch drywall screws spaced no more than 8 inches apart

Add Blocks to Noisy Joists

Another effective way to quiet squeaky floors is to install solid blocking in between the floor joists. Cut the blocking from the same size dimensional lumber as the joists. For example, if your home has 2x8 floor joists, cut the solid blocking from a 2x8.

Cut two or three blocks to fit snugly, but not too tightly, between the two joists. Spread a bead of construction adhesive along the top edge of each block. Evenly space the blocks along the length of the joists, and then slide each block up tight against the underside of the subfloor. Fasten the blocking with 3-inch drywall screws driven through the sides of the joists and into the ends of the blocking.

Drive Short Screws Through the Bottom

Irritating squeaks that originate between the joists are most likely caused by wooden floorboards rubbing against the underlying plywood subfloor, or by chafing against the nails that are holding down the flooring. Either way, you can stop the movement and eliminate squeaks by driving short screws up through the underside of the subfloor and into the bottom of the finished flooring.

However, you must be very careful that the screws are not long enough to penetrate through the top of the finished flooring. Otherwise you'll end up with a problem much worse than a few squeaks. To be safe, drive the first screw in an inconspicuous area, like inside a closet, then go up into the room to confirm that the screw didn't poke through the top surface of the floorboard.

Lubricate the Floorboards

Eliminating floor or stair noises can be problematic when the space underneath is finished and you don't have access to the floor joists or subfloor. When wooden floorboards are causing the noise, add a dry lubricant to the problem area.

Sprinkle lock lubricant, talcum powder, or powdered graphite into the joints between the floorboards. Then place a cloth over the boards and walk back and forth to work the powdery lubricant down into the cracks. This will reduce wood-on-wood friction between the planks and silence small squeaks. Finish by using a vacuum cleaner or damp cloth to remove any remaining powder from the floor.

If that doesn't work, try spraying a dry silicone lubricant between the squeaky floorboards. After spraying, wipe off any excess lubricant with a slightly dampened cotton cloth or paper towel.

Stop Noises From the Top

A cleverly designed product called Squeeeeek No More offers a simple solution to eliminating squeaks from the topside of the floor. The kit includes a tripod tool, driver bit, stud finder, and special counter-snap screws. The screws are coated with wax to drive through carpet without catching strands and causing a run. You use the tripod and bit to drive the screw through the floor covering and subfloor and into a joist. The shaft of each screw is pre-scored 1 inch from the top, so that when you drive the screw through the tripod tool, the screw snaps off just below the surface of the subfloor. The threaded portion of the screw remains in place and securely fastens the subfloor to the joist.

The Squeeeeek No More system works on a variety of flooring products, including carpeting, hardwood planks, vinyl sheet and tiles, and linoleum tiles. Carpeting will hide the resulting screw hole. But you'll have to fill any holes left behind in hardwood floors using a wood filler. Linoleum and vinyl will expand slightly to partially cover the hole, but they won't hide it completely. You could try concealing the holes with caulk. But in the end, you'll have to decide if you want a tiny, barely visible hole, which you can strategically cover with furniture or a throw rug, or if you prefer to live with a few squeaks.

Joseph Truini Joe is a former carpenter and cabinetmaker who writes extensively about remodeling, woodworking, and tool techniques.

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