How to Stop Squeaky Wood Floors

Typical wood flooring

A squeaky floor is common in many older homes due to the construction method used at the time they were built. Today a subfloor is installed using construction adhesive and wood screws to ensure the subfloor will remain tight against the floor joist. Several products can be used to pull an old subfloor down tight against the floor joist or pull the wood flooring down tight to the subfloor.

Things You'll Need

• Painter's tape
• Electric drill
• 7/32-inch drill bit
• Paper clip
• Construction adhesive, slow setting
• Caulk gun
• Black marker
• Specialty screws (available at hardware supply store for joist and non-joist applications)
• Power screwdriver
• Wood filler to match existing floor color

Instructions

1. Walk the floor to determine where the squeaks are coming from. Place a piece of blue painter's tape at each location. Painter's tape will remove easily without leaving a sticky residue.

2. Determine if you have access to the floor from underneath. See if you have a unfinished basement or crawl space, or if it is enclosed by a sheet-rock ceiling below. If you have access, it is best to add some adhesive from below as well as the repairs from above. Use a slow setting adhesive and a caulk gun for this step.

3. Drill a 7/32-inch hole in the floor at the location of the squeak. Put a piece of painter's tape around the drill bit 1 5/8 inches up from the tip of the drill bit. This will act as a depth stop to show you how deep to drill the hole. Use a electric drill to drill a hole straight up and down.

4. Straighten a paper clip so that you have 2 1/2 inches of a straight clip. Use a black marker to make the paper clip at 1 5/8 inches from the end. This is your probing tool to see if you are over a floor joist. Push the paperclip into the hole. If the clip stops after it has gone in 1 5/8 inches, you hit a floor joist. If the clip goes all the way in, you are in between floor joist. Proceed to Step 5 or 6 depending on what you find when probing the floor.

5. Screw in a special screw for floor joist applications into the wood floor. The screw comes with a jig that ensures you are drilling at 90 degrees and snaps off the screw 1/4-inch below the surface of the wood. This screw is designed to pull the wood floor and subfloor down tight to the floor joist. Use a power screwdriver and the special tip for this application.

6. Screw in the special screw for between the joist application. Place the screw in the jig that comes with the screws and stand with your feet on either side of the screw. This is using your weight to push the wood flooring down against the subfloor. Screw the special screw all the way in until the head breaks off 1/4-inch below the surface of the wood. Use a power screwdriver and the special tip for this application.

7. Test the floor for squeaks at this location again. If needed place screws 6 inches apart until you have fixed the squeak. Fill the small pin holes above the screw with a colored wood filler that matches the floor.

8. Repeat Steps 4 through 7 for any other areas that are squeaking.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear knee pads when working on the floor to protect your knees.

• Wear safety glasses when using power tools.

References

• This Old House: Fixing a Squeaky Floor
• The Family Handyman: How to Fix Squeaky Floors
• You Tube: Stop Floor Squeaks in Hardwood Floors