Why do my upstairs floors squeak

As you are tapping on the ceiling, listen for a dull "thud" when your hammer hits the bottom of the joist. It will be distinctively different from the hollow sound when you tap on open space. Measure the location of the joist to the wall or to the nearest fixture that you can identify when you walk back upstairs.

Write down the measurement. Walk back upstairs and use the measurement to locate the joist under the squeak. Place a spiral nail on the carpet above the joist. Use a hammer to drive it straight down through the carpet. It will not harm the carpet.

If your squeaky wood floor is driving you crazy, you may be able to fix them with these solutions:. Prevent them before they start. We highly recommend using a glue assist method with any nail-down application for floors that are thin, wide, or being installed in an environment with swings and moisture. Hi, I just bought a house.

It is only five years old and the ceiling sounds a lot, I feel every step as if it was going to fall and it seems that everything is moving. Is there any solution for this? Thank you for you help! This definitely sounds like a structural issue and you should have a professional flooring installer or home inspector come look at your home to tell you what is going on.

All the best! Hi there! When the baseboard heat comes on hot water through pipes , there is a certain section of maybe two boards that snap really loud, in one of our bedrooms. We would prefer to not have to fix from the top, unless it is in the seams or can be done with nail gun and not ruin the poly finish. Any advice? Thank you very much!! Hi Suzy! It seems that you have an issue related to your heater that could be causing the boards around it to dry out and possibly shrink or warp.

This could be causing the fasteners in your floor to come loose which creates the popping sound when you step near them. If this is indeed the issue, you could top nail the boards with a nail gun, or the better option would be to use special breakaway screws that tighten the floor boards to your subfloor to eliminate the movement that is causing squeaks.

I have bought a brand new townhouse 6 months ago and it is squeaking on the 2 floor already. What can I do about this? Are there professionals that can fix this? Sorry you are having problems with your new floor! There are a lot of factors that could determine your best course of action.

Squeaks are always the result of movement somewhere. The key is determining where the movement and squeak is coming from. Is it in isolated areas? Are boards rubbing together? Or, perhaps the problem is with the subfloor. A professional wood floor company can often help determine what is causing the squeaking.

There are also professional flooring inspectors that can give you a full report on why your floor is squeaking. Visit the National Wood Flooring Association www. I have been able to fix almost all of them with the Sqeak No More system when working from above and using glue blocks when I can from underneath.

These two areas are on carpeted flooring on the 2nd floor so no option to access from below and seem to be between the joists. I suspect that the subfloor boards are rubbing together rather than the subfloor being separated from the joist.

What do you suggest is the best solution? Thank you! Hi Kara, I know what you mean about a squeaky floor driving you crazy. Good for you fixing so many of them! Did you know the Squeak No More also comes in a kit for carpeted floors? Not sure how to explain it but should I put some shims in any areas that have space going along the support beam in my basement??? Hi Cat. Squeaks can be frustrating for sure! Both of those methods could help solve your problem.

Hi, I have a home with terrible squeaks all over the main floor sq ft. Before we finished the basement we tried to resolve the worst squeaks with shims. The noise is driving me crazy!

These are great questions, and it seems like you are on the right path. The tricks such as WD, talc powder, etc. There are a lot of great things about owning an old home, right? Request Information. Financing Information Homeowner Question Repair.

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First Name:. Last Name:. Isnt that what holds the subfloor to the joist? If you snap off the top of the screw, wont the subfloor just inch its way back up the shaft of the screw since there is no screw top holding it in place? I have a drill that could probably drive through a tank…why not just screw the screws ALL the way into the subfloor and call it a day? Hi Jeff, we live in a two story house and the boards under the carpet are large squares as seen in the garage ceiling, not hard wood boards.

The house is about 44 years old. Would this squeaky floor kit work on these board. I have been told they may have compacted matter in the center and perhaps would not grab the screw. What are your thoughts? Cheers Angela. Hi Jeff, Thank you for the detailed post. Is there a professional who can come out and do the work for me?

Do you know? We are in Canada. The other person said he gave up after a while. On top of that, my issue is that I have hardwood not carpet in the hallway where the squeaks are coming from.

I just want it done right and with a guarantee. Have you heard of anyone? Really enjoyed reading these comments as I feel I am getting solid info on how to get rid of those infuriating squeaks! I have carpeted floors, Weyroc chipboard over standard wooden joists and no access to underneath floor.

Please somone, recommend me finders that I can trust! I have an upstairs bedroom that squeaks pretty much anywhere you step in the room. I used the screws 8 inches apart on each joist around screws and it still sounds the same. Any suggestions on what else I could do to fix the problem? Little did i know after things dried the floor shrunk and now the squeaking is out of control. I want to move out of this house, but potential buyers might give buying it a second thought because of the pervasive squeaks!

I guess in short i need to understand the concept of no screw head anchoring something down especially when it is snapped off. What am i not understanding? Thank you so much for this! My hardwoods are installed over concrete slab. What could my subfloor be? I doubt it but your screw tool is ineffective at diagnosing the problem.. My son does not have knowledge either in home repairs,How can we purchase this tripod floor kit,we really need it,our floors squeak upstairs and kitchen,After seeing your video ,very interested, thank you.

I was excited to run across your article to fix squeaky floors. We had an addition built onto our current house about 20 years ago. The contractor put the floor joist in upside down. So the floors have squeaked constantly. My husband thought he could nail it down where ever it squeaked. He put in so many nails we lost count. But the floors still squeaked. We thought we would have to remove the ceiling from downstairs and have the floor joist reinstalled correctly.

An expense we could not come to terms with so we dealt with the squeak. Now I see this product and wonder if it will work for our situation, with the floor joist installed upside down? Hi Jeff, thanks for the write up and video. I want to try this out because we already called someone to check but are still having the squeaks. I will follow everything you said and have just one question though — when the screw heads are snapped off, do you feel them when you walk over them?

I have an unfinished basement. I appreciate the instructions. Unfortunately I am not that handy. What repair man can you recommend because I am having a hard time explaining to most and they tell me they can replace my floor and hopefully that fixes it.

Hello Jeff, I noise under the carpet of the 2nd floor. It is a brand new house that has multiple squeaks and so forth. A flooring crew has been out twice fix numerous spots but more just keep popping up. In one area they put screws through the carpet as you recommended but it fixed the problem for a short time now there are more noises in the same area an further down the same joist.

Who do you reccomend we call for help and if I buy the squeek no more kit do you risk putting to many screws in the same area that the other crews tried to do. The builder will no longer send out a flooring crew to fix the floors since they say sqeeks are normal and the warranty only covers one visit. Please help me to figure out how to fix this.

Thank you, Nate. How much would it cost to have someone come out and fix a squeaky carpet in my bedroom? I live in Kent wA. Which method is best? It would be a bit difficult to pre-drill through the carpet and hardwood to minimize it splitting. I was thinking that I may be able to pre-drill by applying blue painters tape on the carpet, drill the hole and then the tape will show a reference point forward insertion of the screw.

The one for carpet or the one for hardwood? Thanks in advance. Great information! Will this work on popping sounds in the subflooring as well? Also is it safe for all kinds of carpet? I have a low pile nylon.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. As Seen On. Like it? Share it! April 11, at AM. Jeff Patterson says:.