Hardwood flooring is popular due to its fascinating texture, natural coloring, and versatile laying patterns. Sometimes, this durable and eco-friendly flooring gets squeaked due to multiple common reasons including changing seasons, joist, and subfloor problems. Fixing squeaky floors is an easier task than we think, it requires professional guidance and essential tools. Dubai Vinyl Flooring has developed a comprehensive yet professional guide for fixing squeaky hardwood tiles/planks.
Fixing Squeaky Hardwood Floors | A DIY Guide
Wood can’t resist the walking echoes, which makes it an irritating floor option. If you’re facing floor squeaking, consider any enlisted techniques to ensure a completely squeak-free flooring surface.
1- Putting Wood Strips Between Joists
2- Shims Installation In Gaps
3- Stabilize Wrapped Joists
4- Usage Of Construction Adhesives
5- Utilize Floor Board Lubricants
6- Screw To Join Finished & Subfloor
1- Putting Wood Strips Between Joists
Putting wood strips between joists is one of the most effective techniques for taming squeaky floors. The flooring joists become rough and replaced over time due to walking feet. To stabilize the wooden tiles, we must put same-sized strips into joist spaces with strong adhesive material to enhance the support. This method is often used during wood flooring installation to prevent future squeaks and ensure a stable foundation for your new floor.
2- Shims Installation In Gaps
If you found any squeaky parts on the wooden floor, it may be due to space between the hardwood flooring and the subfloor. This space can create an imbalanced flooring surface for walking feet. To avoid any inconvenience, you should install a proper-sized shim in the gap with nails or adhesive material. Sometimes, you need to utilize a hammer to forcefully slide the wooden shim into the space. By following this effective technique, you can keep the flooring surface in balance and make it noise-free.
3- Stabilize Wrapped Joists
Like hardwood floorings, wooden joists can contract or expand due to temperature and humidity changes. Due to joist size variations, the floor surface lacks stability and becomes squeaky. You can fix this common problem by placing 2×4 or 2×6 wooden pieces into warped joists. In addition, you can also use the screws to fasten the joists with wood pieces for firm attachment and stability.
4- Usage Of Construction Adhesives
If your pitched floor has larger gaps between the wooden surface and the subfloor, you need to add construction adhesives instead of sticky glues. To add this adhesive material, you can use the caulk gun to deliver the material to the target area. Prefer construction adhesives over wood glues would be a cost-effective and reliable treatment. This type of adhesive can resist the temperature and humidity variations.
5- Utilize Floor Board Lubricants
Sometimes, friction or walking resistance can crack your wood-made flooring surface. To make wood floor refinish and damage-free, you should utilize floorboard lubricants such as Talcum powder. These dry lubricants prevent the floor from further damage or cracks and make the surface squeak-free. Moreover, you can also use the oil lubricants that seep through the squeaky cracks and make the surface more durable and long-lasting.
6- Screw To Join Finished & Subfloor
Another possible reason for the wood floor squeaking is the separation of the finished surface from the subfloor. If your hardwood-made floor exhibits such condition, you need to join both these surfaces by using the screws. You can pass long screws from both sides; above or below the floor surface.
However, passing screws from the bottom surface will be a difficult task, you should pass nails/screws from the above surface. Before inserting the nail, properly analyze the exact squeaky spot on the flooring. After passing the nail, make sure it has passed through both tile and subfloor surfaces. In the end, fill the created hole in the nail with wood filler to smoothen the surface.
Sum Up!
To fix squeaky flooring issues, we have enlisted a wide array of effective yet easy solutions. If you’re facing such common issues with your wood-made tiles/planks, don’t leave your pitched floor unfixed. You can consider any of the aforementioned techniques for reliable squeaky floor solutions. Furthermore, Dubai Vinyl Flooring has also enlisted the required materials in the respective section for flawless DIY flooring treatment. You can choose wood glue, construction adhesives, nails, screws, board lubricants, shims, or wood strips as per noticed issue and material availability.
