Having a squeaky floor may be tiresome. Walking carfully at night or waking up when anyone passes on it. But, fortunately, this can be fixed.
The floor becomes squeaky because of movement, so once you get the source of it, you will be able to fix it. Most of the time, it’s because of seasonal or joist problems. So, here are some tips to fix it.
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Fill in the short gaps
Sometimes the noise is caused because there is a gap between the joist and the subfloor. If the gap is small, you can solve the problem by inserting a thin wooden shim.
You can also add some carpenter’s glue to ensure the shim. Be sure you do it carefully! If you do it hard enough, you could create an even larger gap between the two of them.
Don’t forget about the long ones
Sometimes, the gaps may be larger. In that case, you can fill them with construction adhesive. This will allow you to fill all the gaps, cracks, and empty spaces between your joists and the subfloor.
Be careful! Check both sides of your joist to fill any voids you can find.
Stabilize it!
Joists may also warp or twist with time. This causes an irregularity in your subfloor that admits the formation of gaps and, consequently, noise. But these regularities can be stabilized.
You can secure your wrapped board by installing planks along the joist. If that isn’t enough, you can install blocks of wood between two joists. This way, you will stabilize your joists and the subfloor, avoiding movement.
Screw from the bottom
In some cases, the joists are fine but the subfloor is loose. If this happens, you can screw the subfloor to the top floor. This will secure both floors and get rid of possible cracks. Be careful not to drill too far from the top floor.
What if you can’t access the area under your squeaky floor? If this happens, you can fix it by screwing your top floor to the subfloor or the joists. By using this method, the marks of the repairs can be seen. You should be very careful or you could make them bigger.
Make sure you fill in every possible left hole and eliminate any sharpening in the edges of the screws so the repair will look as clean and neat as possible.
With this information, you will be able to recognize and even solve any squeaky hardwood floor. You’ll see, it only needs a little attention and maintenance to keep your wooden floors looking like new. Call us to renovate your floors today!