Annoying all the inhabitants of a house, a squeaky floor is a source of daily discomfort that can also lead to more serious problems for the stability of your floor. Our frequent passages and the weight of our furniture tend to expand and contract the flooring, which causes friction between the boards, responsible for the squeaking. Fortunately, this can be avoided through a repair process in a few steps.
Identify the squeaky parts
To correctly determine the source of the squeak, you must first distinguish between the floor support and the floor covering found in the form of boards that must be sanded and varnished before or after being installed. Then, to determine the source(s) of the squeak, if possible, go to the room below and ask another person to walk. This way, you can observe the floor and listen to the noises to identify the squeaking boards. The squeaks can come from several different sources:
– the friction of the boards against each other or the boards against the nails may be due to the installation of the floor with unsuitable materials.
– the squeaks can be caused by too much or inadequate spacing between the floorboards and the subfloor or between the subfloor and the joists. Time and repetitive movements of expansion and contraction can cause gaps between the boards, but also make the nails protrude.
– wood that is too dry or too humid can slightly change the shape of the subfloor and thus cause a problem of expansion of the wooden boards which then leads to squeaking noises.
Quickly remedy the noises
If the incessant squeaking severely disrupts community life in your home, before calling in a company specialized in floor repair, you can start by placing weight on the squeaky boards. You can place furniture, books, or any other heavy object to compress the boards against each other to temporarily avoid their unpleasant incessant noises.
Possible repairs
Depending on the source of your floor’s squeaking problem, several repairs can be considered:
– the installation of cross braces between the subfloor and the joist if they move, in order to fix them to stop the squeaking;
– the fixing of wooden shims between the subfloor and the joist to hold them and thus avoid noisy movements;
– securing the floorboards to the subfloor using screws to prevent their friction;
– fixing the subfloor and joist with screws. Filling holes or spaces with wood putty;
– cleaning the spaces between the slats with a powerful dust-removing device or a vacuum cleaner before applying talc which should penetrate between the boards;
– lubricating the wood in case of wood that is too dry, as it is sensitive to temperature variations. The room in which the floor is located as well as the one below should indeed be at a temperate temperature;
– replacing boards that are too damaged with new ones.
Floor repairs are accessible to everyone when it is not too damaged and if you have the possibility to obtain the necessary equipment. However, as with any action that affects the solidity and therefore the safety of your home, it is preferable to call in a specialist who will check the robustness of your floor and ensure that repairs are durable and effective without damaging your floor. Let the experts take care of your floor!
