Any hardwood floor experts out there?

[Uncle Scary]

I have a problem with a squeaking, noisy hardwood floorboards in my living room. I used a drum sander to prepare the surface, applied stain and polyurethane. The floor looks great, but whenever I walk across it, I hears squeaks, pops, crackles. I have a raised foundation, and have already been under it to shim up the loose joists. It helped a little, but not enough. Does anybody have any creative, and hopefully cheap, solutions?

[284]

Might try to stick some blocking underneath it.
When you shimmed the subfloor/joists, did ya stick any pl400 there?
What's your subfloor made of? If "plywood" type, any bows/delam?

Never put in hardwood floors, so this is just a guess, but if it still makes noise, could be your floor is too tight, like a suspension bridge, or just in places, bowed up slightly and whenever you walk across it, pushing down on it makes movement, so you get the squeaking from the wood strips moving against each other. But as I stated, that's just an uneducated guess.

[LeftofCentralFL]

Does anybody have any creative, and hopefully cheap, solutions?

Baby powder.

Holy crap, that was just a guess.

"Silencing Squeaks

Apply liquid wax, powdered soap, talcum powder or powdered graphite between floor boards that are rubbing together. If that doesn't stop the squeak, drive two-inch finishing nails through pilot holes on both edges of the board then hide the hole with matching color putty or wax. If you need to refinish or replace your hardwood floor, consult a professional for best results. Information furnished by: Hardwood Manufacturers Association 800/373-WOOD"

[Uncle Scary]

Might try to stick some blocking underneath it.
When you shimmed the subfloor/joists, did ya stick any pl400 there?
What's your subfloor made of? If "plywood" type, any bows/delam?

Never put in hardwood floors, so this is just a guess, but if it still makes noise, could be your floor is too tight, like a suspension bridge, or just in places, bowed up slightly and whenever you walk across it, pushing down on it makes movement, so you get the squeaking from the wood strips moving against each other. But as I stated, that's just an uneducated guess.

It's an older home, built in 1922. It has planks for the subfloor. Yes, I think that the floorboards have separated from the subfloor. When I walk across the floor, the squeaking are the boards moving against each other.

Any ideas how to fix? I could go underneath the house and drive a zillion screws up through the subfloor to anchor the floorboards. If the screws are too long, I'll know it when they penetrate the floorboards in my living room. LOL!

[Peacemaker]

I have a problem with a squeaking, noisy hardwood floorboards in my living room. I used a drum sander to prepare the surface, applied stain and polyurethane. The floor looks great, but whenever I walk across it, I hears squeaks, pops, crackles. I have a raised foundation, and have already been under it to shim up the loose joists. It helped a little, but not enough. Does anybody have any creative, and hopefully cheap, solutions?


I use to replace, sand and finish hardwood floors for a living. Chances are its still sturdy but weaking.

Too get it completly cured your gonna have too eventually replace it.

I mean floor and sub-floor. It also wouldn't be a good idea too have heavy safes with out joist support on the floor. Yet, that experiance comes from locksmithing, and safe installation. Or fixing those problems.

[284]

It has planks for the subfloor. Yes, I think that the floorboards have separated from the subfloor. Any ideas how to fix?
Probably 2x10 joists?

You're going to have to figure out how to re-anchor the subfloor down.
"Morning" guess on my part: (only had one cup of java)
1. Walking on the floor, locate the areas that squeek.
2. Sister those joists below.
3. Get a strip of thick (1/4") angle iron and drill holes in it where you'll screw it to the sistered joist and to the subfloor planks.
4. Run two beads of PL400 along the side of angle iron going to be attached to the subfloor planks.
5. Screw in the angle iron to the subfloor.
6. Put some weight on the floor above, then screw in the angle iron to the sistered joist.

Don'thave to do the whole floor, just where it squeeks.

See what others think about this before ya do it. I'll get some more coffee.

[bluedog]

The best way to sove this problem is to nail those boards down with finishing nails, file the holes and refinish. Since you have done a complete refinish, you would have to touch-up, which can realy screw things up if done wrong. Your second best option is to tune the squeeks out and realize that hardwood floors squeek. THey get scratched too. Nothing you can do about it.

[Shorty Pimp]

You can do what 284 suggests out of wood too. Maybe rip a 2 x 4 down the center, then rip the two pieces on a 45. Glue and nail the triangle strips to the joists and subfloor. It will help a bit.

I don't know how long the hardwood has been in, but the way they built floors in the 1920's was run planks across the joists, lay down a layer of newspaper and then put the carpet or whatever right on top of it. The floors are strong, but they're bound to be squeeky at this point and there's not much you can do about it from below.

What's the span and the size of the joists?

You could blow out block on either side and run a beam under the joists to further limit deflection, maybe. :letssee:

[shagrat]

My house was built in 1975 and the floor in my bedroom (upstairs) squeaks. When I'm ready to have them refinished, I'll pop some finishing nails down per others suggestions. I tried it downstairs and it worked well.

[American Rage]

Does anybody have any creative, and hopefully cheap, solutions?


Yeah, quit having sex with your wife on the damned floor!



Rage;)
:lool:

[284]

Yeah, quit having sex with your wife on the damned floor!
It wasn't his wife. :eek:

[shagrat]

:D

[OconeeDan]

I like what Bluedog said.
But, you need to go to your local hardwood flooring distributer, they will be happy to give you good and free advice. While getting their free advice, buy something from them if you need it.
Their advice is going to be better than what you get from home improvement stores and flooring specialist "wanna be's".

[Uncle Scary]

Thanks everybody for the advice. Yes, I will stop having sex on the hardwood floor and see if that helps, too.

[shagrat]

Check this out:

http://www.oberry-enterprises.com/

"Home of Squeeeeek No More, Couter-Snap hardwood floor squeak stopper, and Counter Snap headless deck screws"