Stop Hardwood Floors From Squeaking With A Tip From The Pros

When evaluating the pros and cons of hardwood flooring, you might find that the positive far outweighs the negative. The flooring is hypoallergenic, long-lasting, and has a timeless look. Despite all of these perks, hardwood floor owners know that the material comes with one particularly annoying downside: It can become squeaky over time. There's an easy pro tip that will help you fix this problem quickly. Just cleat the subfloor beneath the hardwood to put an end to the sound. All you have to do is use an electric screwdriver to secure wood braces under the bottom of the subfloor to add extra support. 

Keep in mind that this is just a quick fix to help bring old hardwood floors back to life after they become noisy. You might need to turn to other solutions depending on the cause of the squeaking. The sound could be the result of a variety of different issues, including misplaced nails, loosened hardware, other problems with your subfloor, and more. The material can even squeak after contracting and expanding due to temperature changes. You will need to determine the source of the creaking sound in order to select the correct long-term solution for your hardwood floors. However, cleating the subfloor will provide immediate relief from the noise in many circumstances.

To test out whether this solution could work for you, head down to your basement and look up at your subfloor. First, make sure a misplaced or exposed nail isn't to blame for your creaking floor. If you see a nail in the area where you notice the noise, simply cut it away with bolt cutters to stop the squeaking. If this isn't the issue, have someone walk across the floor above you. If you notice that the subfloor boards move, cleating your subfloor may stop your squeaking problem. You can cleat your subfloor with a 1-by-4-inch piece of wood cut to the length of the spot within your subfloor where you notice the sound. Secure the wood in place with two screws and an electric screwdriver. 

If you do not have a basement, fix this problem above the floor by hammering two 8d galvanized finishing nails into the noisy floorboard side-by-side at an angle. Drill pilot holes in place to make room for the nails first. Make sure that they are pointing toward each other as you nail them in about 1/8 inch deep. You can hide the repair with tinted putty when you are done.

Joists beneath your hardwood floor can cause squeaking as well, so if cleating doesn't help, you may need to tighten them or switch out warped joists with new ones. If there are gaps between your subfloor and your joists, glue wood shims between the gaps to stop the noise. If you still don't know how to repair your hardwood floors due to more complicated damage, consider contacting a professional.