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Step-by-Step Guide: How to Put an End to Creaky Floorboards
A quiet house can become a noisy nightmare due to creaky floorboards. We understand the inconvenience they create, but don’t worry – we have a step-by-step guide to help you silence noisy floorboards. We’ll look at the reasons behind the creaking in this post and offer professional guidance on floorboard repair. You will discover how to reinforce floorboards for a quiet living area, lubricate floor joints and fasten loose floorboards.
Understanding Creaky Floorboards
Causes of Creaky Floorboards
We must first understand what causes these annoying creaks before we look at the ways to fix your floorboards. Several factors including your home and floor’s age, humidity and subfloor issues can contribute to creaky floorboards. Problems with your subfloor will require you to potentially remove your floorboards, so you should seek professional help to assess if you have any major subfloor issues.
Step-by-Step Solutions to Silence Floorboards
Identifying Creaky Areas
Without first identifying your creaky areas, how else are you going to know where it needs fixing? Some of the most common places that creak are areas with high amounts of foot traffic and where furniture is placed or has been moved. Begin by walking around your home and listening carefully for creaky areas. It also helps to have someone walk around with you to pinpoint the trouble spots.
Securing Loose Floorboards
Securing loose floorboards is a crucial step in your floorboard repair mission. One way to secure them is to gather tools including a screwdriver or drill, screws and safety equipment such as gloves and safety glasses. Then, locate the loose floorboards and use the screwdriver or drill to tighten the screws, ensuring they’re not too tight to damage the floorboard.
There is also another effective and easy way to secure your loose floorboards, and that’s with the innovative Fix-A-Floor Adhesive. By drilling holes in your creaky floorboards and injecting the adhesive into the holes, after curing for around 24 hours your floorboards will be secure and no longer make those troublesome noises. All that’s left to do is apply some matching wood filler to the holes. Once fully cured Fix-A-Floor dries clear. Check out our detailed guide on how to use the Fix-A-Floor adhesive.
Lubricating Floor Joints
Sometimes you won’t have access to the subfloor, which is a major pain when you notice creaking noises. The best way to go about stopping the noises when this is the case is lubricating floor joists, but not all lubricants are wet. One way is to sprinkle powdered graphite onto the joints between the floorboards and use a cloth to work the powder into the cracks, friction will be reduced between the boards. If there is any excess powder, simply wipe it away with a damp cloth.
Adding Support from Below
Securing loose floorboards can be achieved if you have access to the space beneath the floor. You may have a basement or crawl space, but more often than not, especially for homes in the UK, you won’t. However, for the sake of arguing if you can access the space beneath your floorboards then fantastic!
Once you’ve identified the problem areas, use a flashlight to see if there are any gaps between the top of the floor joist and the underside of the subfloor. Spread some strong glue onto a thin, wooden shim and push it into the gap, but take care not to push or hammer in the shim too far or you might raise the subfloor. The shim acts to fill the gap and prevent the boards from moving up and down when you step on them, silencing the creaking sounds.
The Easiest Solution for Floorboard Repair with Fix-A-Floor
The very best method of putting an end to creaky floorboards is with Fix-A-Floor adhesive. All it takes is to drill and fill! Why not use the Fix-A-Floor Tile Repair Kit? Ideal for restoration work, fixing loose, creaky and hollow floor tiles and creaky floorboards, featuring all the tools you’ll ever need. Get in touch with us for any enquiries about our products. We’d be more than happy to give you guidance and advice on the best methods for securing loose creaky floorboards.
Here are the products to repair creaky floorboards:
1. Micro Precision Injector Kit
2. Extra Strength Bonding Adhesive for Loose and Hollow Tile Repair
3. Caulking Gun
