Fixing Squeaky Wood Floors

Fixing Squeaky Wood Floors

Nearly all houses have squeaky wood floors, especially old houses. Some homeowners like their squeaky floors as they think of them as little character attributes where other homeowners find them a major annoyance and must be corrected. Fixings squeaky wood floors is an easy DIY project. If your floors are open underneath whereby you can gain access to the flooring above, the squeak may be eliminated however, if there is a finished ceiling below the squeaky floor, such as in a finished basement, the task is more difficult and can be a major project. Fixing squeaky wood floors in a carpeted room is easier to eliminate. Eliminating squeaky floors is a challenging home improvement project that you can do yourself.

Floors squeak because they move, caused by several factors such as:

Loose nails that allow the wood subfloor to move.
Plywood tongue and grove joints of the subfloor dry out or are not glued.
Subfloor boards dry out over time allowing nails to loosen.
Floor joists dry out causing gaps between the subfloor and loose nails.
Finished hardwood floors dry out in winter and expand in the summer.

To stop the squeak, if you want to, you must stop the movement. Here is how to do it:

If the floor is carpeted simply roll back the carpet and using 1 and ½ inch sheet rock screws to screw down the loose floor to the joist. If the loose floor is caused by a moving seam joint that is not over a joist apply a liberal amount of furniture glue to the seam and place a weight on it until it dries. Use a piece of saran wrap between the weight and the glued suffrage to prevent the weight from adhering to the surface. If you cannot roll back the carpet simply nail through the carpet using a finish nail. Use a stud finder to locate the floor joists and nail into the joist.
If the squeaky floor is a finished wood floor and you have access from below, locate the squeaky point and screw sheet rock screws up through the subfloor into the finished floor. Be careful the screw does not come all the way through the finished floor.
If the floor is a finished wood floor and you do have access from below, the task is more challenging but not impossible. Find the squeaky point and using a 3/8 inch brad point drill bit, drill a half inch deep hole into the ¾ inch finish floor. Screw a sheet rock screw into the hole securing the finished floor to the subfloor below. Install a finish button into the hole using a small amount of glue. Lightly sand the top of the button and apply finish, stain or varnish. Insure that the buttons are made from of the same type of wood as the finished floor. This repair can be a challenge but it is doable and effective. If you prefer you can install a finish nail rather than a sheetrock screw. If you do use a finish nail use a small drill to drill a pilot hole through the finished flooring and squirt some glue into the hole before installing the nail. Set the nail using a nail set and fill the hole with wood filler.
For some squeaky finished wood floors you may consider simply lubricating it much the same way you would lubricate any mechanical object but don’t use petroleum lubricate. I recommend using talcum powder or olive oil. These are short time fixes but can be effective.

Tools required:

Hammer and finished nails
Sheetrock screws (1 and ½ inch)
Screw driver or screw gun with appropriate bit
Braid point drill bit, 3/8 inch
Furniture glue
Stud finder
Nail set

That is all there is to it. You can eliminate most squeaky floor problems yourself with a few household hand tools and determination. However, if you find that squeaky floors add character to your home, leave them alone.

Fixing Squeaky Wood Floors

Fixing Squeaky Wood Floors