How To Fix Floor Squeaks In Old Houses | THE HANDYMAN |, by The Handyman on YouTube. 10 min 2 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 2 s
- Time to do it
- 1 to 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Walk the floor slowly and press down with your weight to find each squeak. Mark the spots with strips of masking tape so you can find them again.
Ask a helper to stand below in the basement or crawlspace and listen while you step on the marks. This shows whether the subfloor is rubbing on a joist.
Find the joists with a stud finder or by tapping until the sound goes dull and solid. Mark the joist lines on the floor with tape or chalk.
Check for pipes, cables and ducts below the floor before you drive anything. Look at the ceiling of the room underneath first.
From above, drill pilot holes at a slight angle through the finished floor into the joist. Drive 2 inch screws or finish nails until the head sits just below the surface.
Fill the holes with wood putty or a matching plug. Sand flush when dry and touch up the finish.
From below, coat a wood shim in glue and tap it into the gap between the joist and the moving subfloor. Snap off the excess once the glue sets.
Screw up through the subfloor into the joist from below wherever you can reach. Use short 1 5/8 inch screws so they do not break through the top.
On stairs, drive screws through the tread into the riser and shim any gap under the tread. Glue and screw loose treads from underneath if the stairs are open.
Tips and common mistakes
Have someone press on the floor while you listen from below. The moving joint is much easier to find.
Puff talcum powder into the seams of hardwood boards to quiet friction squeaks. It is a quick fix, not a permanent one.
Do not overdrive screws through the subfloor. They can split the board or push through the finished floor.
Old houses dry out in winter. A humidifier set around 40 percent often reduces squeaks and gaps.
Questions
Can I fix squeaky floors without lifting the carpet?
Yes. Locate the joists, then drive screws straight through the carpet and pad into the joist and countersink the heads. The carpet hides the holes.
Why do my floors squeak more in winter?
Dry air shrinks the wood, so boards and joists rub against each other more. Adding moisture back with a humidifier usually helps.
How do I know where the joists are?
Use a stud finder on a deep setting, or tap the floor and listen for the dull, solid sound. Joists usually sit 16 inches apart.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
