How To Tighten Squeaky Floors

Separate wooden bridging members to eliminate noise problems.

How to tighten squeaky floors.

You re more likely to be able to tighten up a loose squeaky hardwood floor if you can get underneath it. If the underside is covered you will have to work from above. With hardwood floors drive ring shank or cement coated flooring nails into the seams between boards. Go below the room with the squeaky floor and have someone slowly walk back.

For large areas that squeak on the first floor use steel bridging to keep the joists and the subfloor from shifting. Floors get squeaky when wood dries out either finished wood or a wooden subfloor. Next take a thin wood shim and coat it with carpenter s glue. Shine your light up to the origin of the squeak and you should see the metal frame with lag bolts going up through it every 12 or so.

Squeaky floors are almost always caused by nails that missed the floor joists when the installer was installing the floor. For squeaky floor repair begin from underneath the floor if you can. You can still get good results with a subfloor like this if the boards fit tightly. Fixing a squeaky floor that s carpeted can be challenging.

From there you can fix a lifting subfloor with. If the floor is over a basement or crawl space go below to make the repairs. How to tighten up a loose wood floor. Start by having someone walk across the floor while you listen from below.

To fix bulging or loose boards tighten the boards with screws inserted from below. If your subfloor is plywood and has few or no squeaks you ll get excellent results. To fix a squeaky carpeted floor you might have to try a few times until you get the squeak to stop. This can cause subfloor nails to pop loose and the subfloor.

Silencing squeaky floors is much easier if you have access to the space beneath the floor via a basement or crawl space. When you hear a squeak have the person above rap on the floor so you can pinpoint the exact spot. Squeaks in a floor usually mean that the subfloor has loosened from the joists. Use wood screws whose length will penetrate the subfloor but stop inch below the surface of the finished floor.

Occasionally boards or even floor underlay will warp slightly as well. Squeaky floors are more than irritating a serious squeak can even devalue your home if and when you decide to sell it. Fortunately it s an easy fix that ll only take a few minutes and the right tools to repair.