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How to Repair Squeaky Floors

Squeaky floors are often caused by one of three problems. Learn what's causing your noise and how to fix it.

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Drill Flooring nails Hammer Nail set Paintbrush Plug cutter Powdered graphite Profile bit Rag Sandpaper Screwdriver Screws Shim Stain Wood glue Wood putty

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How to Repair Squeaky Floors

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" Squeaky wooden floors can be a constant annoyance in the home. Squeaks are typically caused by the movement between individual floorboards, between floorboards and the subfloor, or between the subfloor and the floor joist underneath. To fix the problem, you have to determine what part of floor is causing the problem. Here are few quick fixes and a more permanent one. If the squeak seems to be coming from the floorboards, try this temporary fix. Lubricate the rubbing surfaces with powdered graphite and a pinch of talcum powder will often work as well. Work the graphite down into the floorboards by repeatedly stepping on the area to quiet the noise. The lubrication will often quiet the squeak. If the floorboards have warped or the original fasteners have loosened and the floor is pulled away so far from the subflooring that the boards need to be refastened, try resecuring the floor by driving nails through the face of the boards. Quite that moving board by drilling pilot holes into the wood to keep the floorboard from splitting, and then driving 6- to 8-penny flooring nails into the loose floorboard. Drive the nails in at least a half an inch away from the edge of the board to prevent splitting. Nails can be set with a nail set and the holes filled wood putty and lightly rub with a rag to remove any excess. Screws do a better job of pulling two pieces of wood together but require effort to use. Here's how you do it. First, drill a hole with a profile bit. A profile bit allows the head of the screw to be set below the level of the floorboard. Be aware of any mechanical, electrical, or plumbing equipment below the work area before drilling through the subfloor. Then, drive the screw into the floorboard. You should feel it pulling the floorboard tight against the subflooring. To make the plug or bung, you need a plug cutter the same size as the head of the screw. You drill the bung out of the same species of wood that the floor is made out. You can often get a scrap of it at your local lumberyard. Holding the drill vertically, press the cutter down into the board until the top of the cutter stops in the wood. Pop out the bung with a screwed driver. Cover the sides of the bung with a little wood glue, and then press or lightly tap the bung into the hole with a rough side facing up and the grain inline with the grain of the floor. When the bung is dried, cut the excess material off which is what's needed or just lightly sand the bung until the surface is flush with the floor. Using the same stain that was used on the floor, apply the stain to the bung and let it soak in. Finish the surface with either a gloss or matte polyurethane to match your existing floor. Sometimes, the squeaks aren't caused by the boards rubbing together but by friction between the subflooring and the joists. Using shims to fill any gaps can be a quick and easy fix. You might spot spaces"

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