Creaking floors in apartment: what to do, how to fix

The contents

The cause of the squeak
Why is creaks new floor or hardwood floor
Error that can enhance the creaking
Possible options for dealing with squeaky floors
Specific advice on what to do if creaking floors

Every resident of the old house faced with the problem of a squeaky wooden floor. The reason for that are many factors that easy to eliminate self-forces. Enough to know why the wooden floor creaks, what causes this problem and how to eliminate bad squeaks.

Causes of difficulty ↑

Plank wood floors are on the joists, which over time and get loose when walking, so start to creak. The problem becomes especially noticeable at night when the room is quiet you need to go, and as a result Wake up, all your family members.

To begin to repair and properly perform the work, it is necessary to analyze why the creaking wooden floors in the apartment. Most often the answer lies in the structure itself, as for laying wooden floor in old houses used several variants.

The first option consists of bars of wood or lag, which made the concrete surface, and the distance between the wooden products was 40 cm For the floor covering used plywood or chipboard, and additionally PVC sheets.

The second involved mounting wooden planks on top of joists that are fastened to the concrete floor.

Combines the two options that wood products lying in horizontal position and consisted of bars with a thickness of not more than 4, see Their main function to serve not only the basis for the cladding, they also created a space from a wall of the concrete slab that the floor could «breathe». The top layer floor interior wooden beams combined with plain nails, which over time, in operating a crank, and mount it ceases to be dense, the floor begins to creak.

Why is creaks new floor or flooring ↑

To publish unpleasant squeaky sounds may be old floor and new floor covering. The main problem with newly installed hardwood floor lies in the fact that not maintained smooth surface and internal structure begins to move. It is very easy to check, and that’s enough to put on the floor is a smooth wood detail. If there are gaps, the reason is in them, and they have to work out and there is a creaking noise. In this case, to get rid of the sound, drill out the floor boards and joists, the hole becomes clogged with glue, a wooden block and place sand. For the entire area of the wooden floor, this method is not suitable, but for one or two times will be a great solution.

The main reasons, which appears creaking in the expensive parquet, are incorrectly performed work, low-quality wood material, which might be still raw. But this is not a problem, it can be eliminated.

Error that can enhance the creaking ↑

Some masters believe that to eliminate the creaking of the wooden floor just enough to nail him. This method will silence not more than a month or two. Then the sound appear again, but few worry about that.

The reason is that in the ground floor where there is a strong tension wooden joists, nails swinging in and out. Therefore, if the time to repair a little, the best option would be to use long screws.

I admit another big mistake when chipboard sheets laid on the old wooden floor.

It is important! This solution will help only for a while, but the return of the squeak, it will become even stronger, and to correct this omission will be much harder.

Possible options for dealing with squeaky floors ↑

Let’s start with the fact that the most radical and effective way to get rid of the annoying squeak is a full replacement of the floor covering. New hardwood floors will be a long period of time to perform their functions without requiring additional repairs, but they will result in a lot of money. Replacement of the wooden floor is a fundamental change in the apartment, the expenditure of extra money on the purchase of materials, delivery and labour masters. Even an inexpensive variant cover requires large additional expenditure of uncertain amount.

Another known method of solving the difficulty is to replace the wooden floor on screed, on top of which you can put ceramic tiles, linoleum, laminate, parquet or wooden products. A decent solution, but when you have small children linoleum or tile will give a cold, if you don’t put the extra layer or not to install heating. The additional layer may be concrete block, gypsum fiber Board or extruded polystyrene, the material and the installation will require a lot of effort and time.

Accessible and affordable version of the fight with a scratch is to replace sheathing with plywood, which is fixed with screws. But if the lag looks awful, then they need to be replaced. The coating will still have to completely remove, upgrade wood floors, but after that, with time, the coating will squeak again.

Specific advice on what to do if creaking floors ↑

There are several effective methods that will help to solve the problem and to fix the creaking wooden floor. This is not such an easy thing, but to deal with it any novice at home. The main task is to correctly choose the technology most appropriate for specific floor coverings, given the material that was used and what quality.

You first need to think not only about the problem, but about the appearance of wooden boards. The squeak can be removed by using graphite powder, which includes the talc and covered him in the slot. In addition, in the slit formation can hammer a wedge of wood. If after this work is done with no results, then wooden products screwed screws.
Common method is to use screws. In areas of the wooden floor, where there is a creaking noise, holes are drilled with a size of 2 mm and twisted the screws until the very end. The upper part of the screw is removed, and the place of its installation putty. This decision will help to eliminate the slight creaking of the wooden floor. In the case of a strong sound, use plastic anchors with screws that extend into the concrete screed 40 mm boards from the pile also have a tendency over time to crack and crack, so attaching them to the wooden floor using screws, which provide a countersunk head. The fact is that in most cases those creaking wooden products that are loosely attached to the joists or the joists overlap. If the problem is really in this, then this method will undoubtedly help.
The third method is more time consuming and requires more effort. If major repairs not enough money, then come to the aid of pins. In the place where the creaking wooden floors in the apartment, at the junction of the boards, holes are drilled, the diameter of 10-12 mm, leaving a distance of 30 cm Using PVA glue high quality pressed prepared pins. After this it is necessary to clean wooden floors, and it will no longer squeak.
That did not creak, parquet, wooden products fix rounded to the joists with screws, at a distance of 5 cm to Facilitate the employment process will help electric drill, which regulates the speed of rotation. But if in some places the wooden floors still creak, then in wooden boards need to make a hole with a diameter of 6 mm and upload it foam, but don’t overdo it.
The easiest, budget and antiquated method of elimination of the creaking of the wooden floor is creaking the floorboards between to insert the wedge. To do this, from appropriate boards planed wedge, cover it with glue and hammered into a crack, and then sostragivajut wedge flush with the floor
There is one more durable and reliable method, which is 100% get rid of annoying and unpleasant creak. Is the metal anchors. The method is very reliable but requires investment and effort. The working principle is through the installation of the anchor, which will pass through a wooden floor and the cross beam, flying to the concrete. Under him prepare a special outer shell that is made of metal, thus strengthening the Arab League. The upper part of the anchor will not be visible outside because the size of the holes on the top rassverlivajut larger nozzle diameter. Experts recommend installing anchors around the perimeter of the room. According to the rules, the distance between products should be within 1m, but the less the better. The calculation will determine how many anchors will be needed.
If squeaking bothers on a flat surface, then you can apply the veneer to remedy it. Everything is simple. The material should not be thinner than 12 mm, it is cut into small squares and fortify on top of the dry wooden floor by screws or special adhesive. You should leave the distance between the squares, of size 10 mm and lay them at an angle against the direction of the boards.
Replace old screws and nails. This is a fairly reliable method, but time consuming due to the fact that old wooden floor can be upgraded without complete dismantling. You should carefully check the entire floor, every section, to change all the old fasteners with new parts. Nails, of course, it is better to avoid completely, because over time they will rust, but the boards to shrink, thus causing shrinkage of the floor and, consequently, its creaking. The best option, as mentioned above, is the screws or screws. In some cases, this method allows you to completely and permanently get rid of the unpleasant sound. Before you do screed, it is necessary to check all the beams and boards. If there is a rotten, warped or dry, they should be replaced. After this work, in places where was heard the creak, you can insure foam.