 |
|
Squeaks can be stopped in all types of hardwood floors, but it's best to attack the problem from below. Photos courtesy of Michael Wolke Flooring
|
By Craig A. Shutt
What should you do if a customer innocently asks you to eliminate a squeak in an old floorboard while you're working in another part of the house? You can agree to do the work—but you'd better make sure he knows that there aren't any guarantees to stopping squeaks, and it may take more time and effort than the customer decides is worth it.
"Squeaks are probably one of the biggest issues people ask about," says Michael Wolke, owner of Michael Wolke Flooring in Des Plaines, Ill. (www.mwolkefloors.com). "I have them in my own 50-year-old house. Fixing them from above, without breaking open the floor, is almost impossible."
Squeaks occur primarily in older homes due to three problems, he says. The "sleeper" boards, small pine blocks on which tongue-and-groove flooring was supported, have worn down or cracked, creating some give in the floor. Or the plywood connected to the floor joists has loosened. Or heating or air vents may be rubbing against part of the substructure.
Fixing squeaks from above requires resecuring the board to the subsystem, explains John DeCiantis, CGR, president of DeCiantis Construction in Stonington, Conn. "You can try screwing the floorboard into the joists, if you can find them, but you might have to pull up the carpeting." If you screw through the carpeting, John warns, you must be sure not to snag a carpet thread, or it will create a "run" across the room. With hardwood flooring, a screw can be secured into the wood and then the screw hole plugged.
Michael suggests taking up the floorboards, providing new support, and then reinstalling new boards. However, with a finished hardwood floor, matching new and old can be a problem, he notes. He sometimes takes original boards from a closet, replaces those with new wood, and uses the old wood to help match where the cut was made. It may work best to pull up several lines of wood and mix the two kinds to ensure a more uniform look.
Better from below
Both men prefer attacking the problem from below, which can be done more easily in a basement or crawl space. Even for second-floor situations, John stresses that the best approach is to cut open the drywall ceiling below the squeaky floor rather than try to fix it from above.
If the problem is the subfloor itself, it can be shimmed to support the boards, using exterior wood-siding shingles. They offer a more gradual slope than pre-made shims, Michael says. Or you can install a small square block of 3/4-inch plywood to create a bridge between two pieces of subfloor. John uses a 2- by 2-inch block that is glued to both the floor and joists to support the loose board. During any fix, Michael suggests having someone stand on the squeaky spot to ensure the pieces are secured as tightly as possible.
The good news is that squeaks are becoming a thing of the past, says John. "A reputable builder today glues the subfloor down, so fasteners can't loosen." Using engineered lumber and I-joists, which use layers of thin wood for more strength, also helps eliminate squeaks.
In older homes, though, squeaks can be tough to fix for good, even if you can reach them. "Tell your customer that squeaks give a home character," suggests Michael. "At least no one will be able to sneak up on you."
| 
)
