How to quiet squeaky floors.

[Joe Hillmann]

Under 70 years of floor coverings there are hardwood floors in my shop. When there was carpet they were very quiet but now that the carpet and linoleum are gone they are very very squeaky. Other than face nailing every board to the floor joists are there any tricks to quieting the squeak?

If it matters the floor joists run east/west, the sub-floor runs north south and the hardwood floor also runs north south.

[Mike Leung]

Try some baby powder in the cracks.

[Jeff Duncan]

Can you access from below? If so I believe there are fasteners that can be fastened onto the joists from below to help.

good luck,
Jeffd

[Joe Hillmann]

About half of it can be gotten to from below. Any idea what the fasteners are called so I have a place to start searching?

so far all I have found is a type of double threaded screw with a head that snaps off once it is below the surface but I think it is more suitable for carpeted floors than wood floors.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm sure this is not the majority opinion, but I like a few squeaks. Sounds natural somehow. Also lets you know if your teenager is trying to sneak out...

www.squeakyfloor.com has several examples of the break off type of fasteners that can be used to fix squeaks if you must.

[Jason Roehl]

What you can access from below, I would use a pocket hole screw. Identify the squeaky spots, then figure out where that spot is from below (measure from a vent or something like that which you can see from both above and below), and put in a few screws around that spot with a Kreg jig or similar. As for what you can't access from below, then I'd get some "trim head screws" and screw it down from above where the squeaks are (pre-drill), but you'll have a 3/16" hole or so where the head of the screw is. You could fill it with some matching putty.

[Myk Rian]

About half of it can be gotten to from below. Any idea what the fasteners are called so I have a place to start searching?
Wood screws. Not trying to be smart aleck, but that's what you use.

[Trevor Roeder]

I have the same problem, but I have no access to underneath.

What do I do for loud stairs with no access underneath?

I have lots of areas in my upstairs flooring that are loud also. Is my best option baby powder? What about using corn starch?

[Jim Andrew]

Squeaky floors is a tough fix. When the building industry was using lumber for joists, most all floors developed a few squeaks. That is because the top of the joists are not exactly even. When we framed a floor it was built with lumber which has to dry out later, and we all know lumber dries differently from one piece to the next. So even if we have the floor fairly even as it is built, it dries out unevenly. Nails tend to pull out slightly from the joists which are low, and as you walk over the floor, the floorboards move slightly on the nails, causing the squeak. The new I joists that most builders use now are dryer and more even than lumber joists, so the squeaking isn't as bad a problem in new homes with I joists. Screws work to hold the flooring down better as they can't work out of the joists as easily as nails. Hate to see you have to screw through your hardwood flooring, but that is probably the only way to make your flooring tight.

[Richard Wolf]

Here is a link to the hardware to fix squeaks from below, a little pricey if you have a lot.
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/SR-1000/Squeak-Relief-2-Bracket-Repair-Pak/?gclid=CILn7sLm9bUCFUhV4AodIxsA6A&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=SR-1000&ef_id=hy5PAPaqmxkAAADn:20130311231942:s

[Ryan Baker]

Those break-off screws from squeakyfloor dot com are great. Work like a charm.

If you are going into bare wood floor and you know where the joists are below, you want to use the silver type A screws. Otherwise use the brass colored type B screws.

[Baileigh Inc]

Try some baby powder in the cracks. Is this a real solution? Why would baby powder quiet them?

[Michael Peet]

In my house, the hardwood slats run perpendicular to the subfloor boards, which run perpendicular to the joists. This means the hardwood surface boards run parallel with the joists. I pried up the hardwood boards every 16" or so until I figured out where each joist was, then put deck screws down into the joist through every subfloor board. Extremely labor-intensive, but there are absolutely zero squeaks left. I did this right before I had the floors refinished, by the way.

Mike

[Ryan Baker]

Is this a real solution? Why would baby powder quiet them?

Yes, that's a real solution. I haven't done it, but I have heard of people doing it lots of times. The powder works down into the cracks and stops the dry wood-on-wood rubbing which makes the squeak. I'm not sure how long it would last, but if the whole floor squeaks (instead of certain spots), it would be a good thing to try.

[Joe Hillmann]

It was warm here today with everything melting and lots of humidity in the air and that quieted the floors way down. They are still very squeaky but nowhere near as bad as they were on Saturday. I know that isn't a solution to my problem, I just thought it was interesting and worth noting.

[william watts]

Its a solution that may work temporarily. Talcum powder works as a lubricant. Back in ancient times we used it to lubricate the slides on our slide rules!
Bill

[Ira Matheny]

Shim shingles and glue
Get under the floor. Have someone walk around. find the squeaks. Dip a shim shingle in glue and drive it between the joist and the sub floor. Same areas may require a small nail to hold the shim shingle into position. Remove the excess shingle. Stay off the floor for a day. Should correct many, if not all of the noise.

[Jeff Duncan]

Squeaky floors is a tough fix. When the building industry was using lumber for joists, most all floors developed a few squeaks. That is because the top of the joists are not exactly even. When we framed a floor it was built with lumber which has to dry out later, and we all know lumber dries differently from one piece to the next. So even if we have the floor fairly even as it is built, it dries out unevenly. Nails tend to pull out slightly from the joists which are low, and as you walk over the floor, the floorboards move slightly on the nails, causing the squeak. The new I joists that most builders use now are dryer and more even than lumber joists, so the squeaking isn't as bad a problem in new homes with I joists. Screws work to hold the flooring down better as they can't work out of the joists as easily as nails. Hate to see you have to screw through your hardwood flooring, but that is probably the only way to make your flooring tight.

A lot, if not all, squeaking can be eliminated in construction whether using solid wood or I joists. The things that lead to squeaking in new construction can usually be traced back to cutting corners to get the house built quickly and cheaply. For instance, a little construction adhesive used under a full 3/4" plywood subfloor nailed down with ring shank nails....or even screwed, will keep the floors nice and sturdy. Contractors routinely use 5/8" ply for subfloors and just toss it down and nail it. While certainly structurally sound enough, it's not going to provide enough rigidity to keep the floor from deflecting as you walk across....which over time loosens the nails!

I replaced the flooring, including subfloors, in about 1/4 of the house during a remodel. The new floors, (roughly 9 years old), are dead solid and quiet. The rest are on original solid wood subfloors and have a bit of give and squeak.

Joe, sorry but I'm not sure where you would find that hardware. I saw it years ago, most likely in the JLC, (Journal of Light Construction), which I don't get anymore. You could try googling and see what you come up with.

good luck,
JeffD

[Jason Roehl]

Well said, Jeff. On top of that, many builders "build to code"--which is often a MINIMUM standard, so the floor joists are "just big enough". For a few dollars more, going to the next size up of joist would greatly reduce the deflection and squeaking in many floors, along with gluing and screwing as you stated.

[Carl Babel]

I have done just what Ira described. A lot cheaper than special fasteners. You don't need to drive the shim shingle in very far/hard - your goal is not too raise up the sub-floor, just to get a good bond between the joist and sub-floor.

Oh, one more thing - if the joists are minimally sized, you may be getting joist flex, which will add to squeaking. If this is happening, you will need to block the joists or put in cross-braces to prevent them from flexing. To check for this, tack a strip perpendicular to the joists and mark it at every edge. Then leek for deflection.

[johnny means]

If the squeaks are caused by the floor moving above the sub-floor and you can precisely locate the centers of movement you can fix it with a little glue, a glue syringe, and a small drill bit. After finding that squeaky spot, simply drill a hole down to the sub-floor (a 16th" bit is plenty big). Then inject a liberal helping of glue into the hole, enough to know that you have a coin sized pool down there somewhere. Do this when you know there will be no traffic in the area while the glue sets. After curing the glue acts as shim preventing the offending board from moving up and down. This technique is great for when you can't access the floor from beneath and can't mark up the floor with larger fasteners. Often times, with a little luck, you can drill into the gaps between the floor boards leaving no marks at all.

[johnny means]

Here is a link to the hardware to fix squeaks from below, a little pricey if you have a lot.
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/SR-1000/Squeak-Relief-2-Bracket-Repair-Pak/?gclid=CILn7sLm9bUCFUhV4AodIxsA6A&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=SR-1000&ef_id=hy5PAPaqmxkAAADn:20130311231942:s

Hmmm. Seems to me a 25 cent L bracket would achieve the same thing.

[glenn bradley]

I have the same problem, but I have no access to underneath.

What do I do for loud stairs with no access underneath?

I have lots of areas in my upstairs flooring that are loud also. Is my best option baby powder? What about using corn starch?

Here you go: http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/SNM-3320/Squeeeeek-No-Morereg-Hardwood-Floor-Kit-w25-Screws

[Jim Matthews]

I use a heavy rubber mat, scavenged from a Hockey rink that was refurbished.

It's easy on my creaky knees, and kind to things I drop off the bench.
It's also quite heavy, and should dampen both movement and the transmission of sound.

I would suggest that instead of going after the squeak source, directly - use something like a heavy rubber mat to mask the noise.
If the floor moves as you indicate, any fixtures are likely to pop over the course of years and cause a trip hazard.

[Joe Hillmann]

After a closer look it looks like there is a gap between the hardwood floor and the subfloor that is causing the noise. I think I will try taking 1 1/4 screws and putting in a screw from underneath every three inches next to each joist in a small area and see if that quiets that area down. I did pound a few through the floor into the joists below and it quiets that area down but I worry that over time the nails will work loose. I also don't want a bunch of extra nails visible in my floor.

[Keith Weber]

Wow! Those $6 brackets seem like a complete gimmick! They wouldn't even function as well as a 10 cent screw ( which would pull the floor tight to the joist). The more you tightened the lower screw on those ridiculous brackets, the more it would lift your floor off the joist. Screwing from below is the way to go. You don't need pocket screws, but I'm sure that they'd prevent you from accidentally getting the screw to high or too vertical, which could cause the screw to poke through the floor above.

For new construction, glue (construction adhesive) and screw the subfloor from above for a squeak-free floor.

Keith