How to Stop Noisy Wood Floors

Wood floors can become noisy when they age.

Hearing squeaking, creaking or other noises is a common complaint among those when walking over their wood floors. As wood floors age and a home gets drier, the wood will often begin to make noise when stepped on. This is typically due to the floor boards sliding on their attached nails---when you step on the wood, the nail slides into the nail hole causing it to squeak or creak. When you step off of the wood, the nail pulls back out of the hole, creating another similar noise. Fortunately, you can put an end to these annoying noises for good.

Things You'll Need

• Short, small screws
• Electric drill
• Wood glue
• Putty knife
• Rag

Instructions

1. Locate the subfloor underneath the noisy wood. The subfloor is typically in your basement.

2. Ask a helper to walk on the floor while you look at the subfloor. Take note of where any squeaking, grinding, or other noise is heard.

3. Insert a screw into your electric drill that will fit the smallest bit. Choose a screw that is fairly short.

4. Drill the screw into the subfloor underneath the noisy wood plank. Continue to drill until you reach the underside of the wood flooring, then stop. The object of this technique is to pull the floor down to the subfloor, to create stabilization and lessen the noise. Apply multiple screws to the same board if needed and use this method on all boards that create noise.

5. If your noisy floors occur on an upper level in which the subfloor is hidden by a finished ceiling, squirt wood glue between the boards and work it in with a putty knife.

6. Wipe up the glue and apply weight to the floor until the glue dries. Creating this stabilization can put an end to the noise.

Tips & Warnings

• Because your flooring is likely hard, drill pilot holes through the wood first. Use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screws you are going to use, and drill them down to the approximate length of the screw.

• Take care not to drill the screws into the floor so far that they poke out of the top. For this reason, use the shortest screw you can find that will still accomplish the job.

• Another way to stop noisy floors is to apply talcum powder, or powdered or liquid graphite, to the spaces between the floor boards. The lubrication these products provide may stop the noises.

References

• Jim Rooney on the Level: Hardwood Floor Creaks
• Don Vandervort's Home Tips: How to Fix a Squeaky Wood Floor