Easy Solutions For Squeaky Hardwood Floors

In an earlier feature I wrote about making some serious repairs to a damaged hardwood floor. One of our readers responded by asking about a less serious, but annoying problem with her hardwood floors - they squeak.

I grew up in a 1919 house with hardwood floors and the ones that squeaked the worst were the stairs. My father, though, made no attempt to fix them, for he claimed that was the best way he had of knowing when, as teenagers, each of us was getting home late at night.

Our reader had tried the age-old remedy of talcum powder between the boards, but, as I expected, all that did was make a mess. Rarely does the squeak come from two boards rubbing together. More often, its from a board moving up and down on a nail - and talcum powder can't cure that.

Exposed Joists -

These are the easiest to repair. Begin by standing in the basement beneath the floor while someone steps on each board until you can identify the offender. Chances are you will discover a small gap between the subfloor and the 2"x6" or 2x8" joists. Take a shim, apply glue to both sides of the thinnest end and tap it into the gap. You can score it with a utility knife and snap it off for a neater job.

If the offender is between two joists, cut a 2"x6" piece of wood that fits snugly between the two joists. Tap it into place and nail or screw to the joist at either end of it, then follow the same steps as above.

If, however, you need to pull and hold down a 'humped' floor board, start by screwing a 2"x4" board lengthwise to the basement floor joist. Make sure the 2"x4" extends a foot or more on either side of the humped board. Then have someone stand on the humped board while you then insert screws at an angle through the 2"x4" and into the floor boards. The combination of their weight and the pulling power of screws (far better than nails) should hold the board in place.

Covered Joists -

These are more challenging, obviously, since you cannot access the joists and the subfloor from below the floor.

First, you need to identify the loose board by carefully standing on and testing each individual board.

Then, drill two pilot holes in the loose portion of the board, taking care to make sure the pilot holes are drilled at 45-degree angles opposite each other. Done this way they will have more holding power than nails driven straight through the board and into the subfloor (see lower photo).

Next, have someone push the floor board into place by pressing down on a piece of 2"x4" directly over the loose section. While he is holding the board in place, hammer a 3" finish nail into each of the pilot holes, using a nail punch to seat the heads beneath the surface of the wood. Afterwards, disguise the nail holes with tinted wood dough.

Good Luck!

- Bruce Johnson

Top Photo: The gap between the boards on this set of stairs indicates why the treads squeak as weight is placed on each of them.