Eliminating Floor Squeaks
Click image to enlarge.
Q. I have annoying floor squeaks in my second-floor hall and bedrooms. Are there ways to eliminate these squeaks without tearing off the drywall on the ceiling below?
A. Yes, you can eliminate these floor squeaks—with determination and some luck! Typically, squeaks occur when wood elements move and rub against nails (thus the squeaks). The solution is to use screws to tightly pull together the wood pieces (no squeaks). It’s tougher if you can’t get at the floor from below.
The strategy: Locate the squeak, find the nearest joist, and tighten the flooring to the joist or subfloor with a trim-head screw driven through the floor.
Step one: Locating the squeak and the joists
Walk back and forth across the floor and do some detective work to find the spot that’s squeaking. Kneel down near
the squeak and have another person walk across the floor. Use a piece of masking tape to mark its probable location. Next, locate the joist nearest to your mark.
TIP
If you’re going nuts listening to numerous squeaks under carpeting, roll back the carpet and pad, the whole floor. The silent relief locate the joists and screw off may be well worth the $100 to have the carpet re-stretched.
If there are floor heating registers, pull the register out and probe along the edge of the metal duct-work. Usually these floor registers are installed next to a joist.
Probe through the carpet and subfloor using a finish nail as a drill bit; it won’t grab the carpet fibers like a twist bit.
Sometimes the joint between plank flooring pieces is wide enough for a 1/16-in. twist drill bit to squeeze through. Drill through the subfloor along this joint and probe with the bit to locate the joist.
Once you find a joist, it’s a good bet that the rest are spaced 16 in. on center (although sometimes 19-1/4 in. or 24 in. on center). Lay a tape measure out from the known joist to locate the others.
Step two: Eliminate the squeak
Click image to enlarge.
Drive a trim-head screw through the flooring and into the joist. If you’re working on carpet, then drive it right through. Go slowly so that carpet fibers won’t grab and wind onto the screw threads. On hardwood, first drill a clearance hole through the hardwood plank, followed by a 1/8-in. deep countersunk hole the size of the screw head. Drive the trim screw tight and then putty the screwhole.
If the squeak’s gone, mission accomplished. If not, drive another screw into the joist several inches away. Still squeaks? Try another spot off to the side of the joist. Because you’re literally working in the dark, this is a real hit-or-miss process. If you’re up to three or four attempts and you’re still not victorious, sit back and reassess how important this “squeak mission” is to you— especially if you have a hardwood floor. Sometimes you just have to live with it. Happy hunting!
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