Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 7/16/2007

Question
Hi Richard- Our ranch home was built in the 1950s in Atlanta. We have original wood floors throughout most of the house (except an addition). In many areas, the floors are SO creaky. You can't eyeball these areas, meaning, the boards aren't lifted or don't appear warped. We had a contractor out to our house for another reason, and he indicated you might just be able to drive finishing nails in the areas that creak. We can't access underneath the floors through the basement, because our basement is finished (I've heard that's one way you can address them). But I can't imagine driving nails through the top of the floor is the best aesthetic solution either. Do you think we need to investigate this from any other viewpoint (e.g., that such creakiness is a sign of something else), or does driving nails through the areas that are the loudest seem reasonable? I know it's an old house, and we love its character, we'd just like it to be a bit quieter. Thanks!


Answer
Hi Tammy - thanks for your question!

Creaky wood floors are caused by the floorboards rubbing against the nails holding them in.  As the floor joists below age, they pull a bit on the nail, creating a small gap between the top of the floor joist and the underside of the floorboards.

When you walk on the floor, the floorboard is pushed down a little, rubbing against the sides of the nail...CREEEAAK!!

Fortunately, it's very easy to fix - and you don't need a contractor to do it!

Several manufacturers make special screws for just this purpose; you put a screw in the floor where the squeek is, then snap the screw off - below the top of the wood.  Then you can fill the very small hole that's left with a dab of wood putty, or just leave it alone.

Kits with these screws and the special tool you need to snap them off are available at Loews, Home Depot, etc.  I've used the system with carpeted floors with great success.

Finish nails won't fix it; you need to use threaded screws and a power screwdriver (drill) to pull the floorboards tight to the top of the joists.  Nails will eventually just pull loose and create even more squeaks!

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com