Fixing Squeaky Floors
Squeaky floors can be tolerable at first but it can become very frustrating or worst, you could end up ignoring it until it actually destroys your floor. Squeaky wood floors are caused when the floor joists begin to separate with the sub floor. The nails squeak as they slide in and out of the joists.
Fix It!
I would suggest that the first thing you do is to try and locate the source of the squeaking. Also check out the gap that was made between the sub floor and the joists. Fixing or silencing the squeaking of hardwood may depend on the gap that exists. For you to fix squeaking caused by a small gap, you can use construction adhesive to fill the gap. Be careful in filling the gap as not to create a wider gap between the sub floor and the joists.
If you’ve got a bigger gap, you can use a small piece of wood. All you have to do is to fasten that piece of wood against the joists and fit it against the sub floor. This will serve as reinforcement and prevent the sub floor from moving to the joists.
When your problem is not exactly gaps but with the floor being separated from the sub floor, you will have to use a short screw and simply connect the two floors together. You can also opt to fix squeaks from above the floor. All you need is a hammer and some finish nails. Drive in a long finish nail into the floor around where the squeak is located.
It is quite important that wooden floor squeaks are not ignored since they will eventually destroy your flooring. You should locate the squeaky part and have it dusted with powdered graphite or talc (baby powder). If there are seams, then dust that too. If the squeak doe not disappear then around the cracks and gaps, you should apply mineral oil sparingly. If the sub floor has pulled away from the joist or from a piece of wood that is warped, then the loose section needs to be re-anchored.
For squeaky floors caused by loose boards, you can remedy this by putting some cloth in the gaps for the meantime. However, you should get that fixed immediately. To reattach loose floor boards, nails can be used as well as special fasteners available in any hardware.
Underneath Fixing
As I have mentioned, squeaky floors can be fixed from above but it can also be fixed from underneath. It is easy to discover which part is squeaking if you have joists under your floor that are visible. By having another person walk all over the floor why you look for loose joist movements below is the way to do it. To fix this, you would need wood screws, a wood cleat, a hammer, and some small wood shims. With these materials, you can assess the situation and decide how best to proceed. Never ignore a squeaky floor board.