Anything else I can do to fix this squeak?

Submitted by funlol3 t3_zzdhkb in DIY

This floor creak in my bedroom is driving me crazy. It’s two adjacent floorboards that squeak, and it’s only in a small area (I’d say 8 inches or so)

I found the joists and drilled in a couple “squeak no more” screws, when that didn’t work I drilled in a couple more in the area. (4 total). I then filled them in with wood filler.

Here’s a link to what it sounds like now (no improvement). https://imgur.com/a/2T2p7FL

What else can I do? Is the only option removing the floor boards and replacing them?

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vlouisefed t1_j2az21s wrote

I rented s place a long time ago with a squeaky floor, my father told me to put talcum powder on the floor and rub it in.

It worked, though I had to repeat the process occasionally.

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Belalagny t1_j2b1rso wrote

Exactly 👍🏼

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funlol3 OP t1_j2b1ykq wrote

I’ve tried baby powder. No luck

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fatherlyadvicepdx t1_j2c2sjw wrote

Try dry graphite spray. Just beware that can get everywhere. The graphite will work as a lubricant.

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JonJackjon t1_j2b0dz4 wrote

Can you access the floor from underneath?

I had a similar problem, I was able to drill up from below into a few of the culprit boards.

I had to tap the hardwood floor (from below) and tighten with a #10 machine screw.

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funlol3 OP t1_j2b1wft wrote

No I can’t unfortunately. Floor below has plaster ceilings

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dhutch01 t1_j2csfjr wrote

What length of #10 screws did you use?

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JonJackjon t1_j2f26fm wrote

I don't recall, however at the time I figured I went about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the hardwood. As I was drilling (very slowly) my wife was watching the surface for any indication I was too close to the surface.

To get an idea of the thickness I did measure the floor thickness where our hot water baseboard heat went through the floor.

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TheFishBanjo t1_j2b3e2v wrote

I've never had much luck with squeaks. You win some, you lose some.

I'll offer this minor variation to your option.

With some patience, you could cut the tongue on those boards and remove them. You'd try to not damage the appearance side if possible. Of course, you need to remove the screws you just put in.

An oscillating (multifunction tool) with the right blade makes this possible. Buy an extra couple of blades since you might encounter the hardwood staples while doing this. If you can tell that you are hitting a nail, bypass it while your blade is good and come back later with your worn blades. (BTW, you can sometimes get a little more use from a blade by filing some notches where the teeth are damaged.) Return any blades you don't use.

Then, you will be looking at the subfloor with some missing flooring. You'd step and push to isolate the squeak. If it disappeared when the boards were removed, good. If not, you identify where the joists are, then get some 3" screws to hold the subfloor to the joists better. At that point, you hope to have no squeak whatsoever.

You'd use construction adhesive to put the boards back and reuse your screws. I'd put wood glue (like Titebond III) where the boards were sawed. A few finish nailing would be good too. Then touch up the cosmetic aspect.

That's my best idea.

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funlol3 OP t1_j2b4kc7 wrote

Thanks! I was thinking about removing the boards and trying that way. Unfortunately, these screw heads all snapped off, so I’d probably destroy the floorboards trying to remove them.

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IrishAviator t1_j2b67ak wrote

I was selling my house and had a few spots where the planks were coming up from the slab. I drilled a few 1/16" inch holes in the areas and injected some gorilla glue (the kind that expands as it dries) inside with a plastic syringe. I put some weights on top while it dried then cleaned it up and stained it so you couldn't even see the holes unless you looked closely. Seemed very solid afterwards.

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TenPoundSledge t1_j2bd4st wrote

Try using the carpet jig that came with the stop squeak screws instead of the bare floor jig. The screws need to pull the sub-floor tight to the joist. If you use the bare floor jig they are pulling on the flooring and will be less effective. Start just outside the squeak zone and put a screw in every three or four inches along the joist. Good luck.

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LaChanz t1_j2axmxf wrote

Don't step there?

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funlol3 OP t1_j2ay82w wrote

It’s in a very inconvenient spot to not step in (right at the entrance).

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LaChanz t1_j2aypkr wrote

Is it actual hard wood or a lvp or laminate? If hardwood, you could drill a couple pilot holes into the squeaky area, put in screws, then plug with wood filler. Then of course you'd have to try to match the color.

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funlol3 OP t1_j2az1lx wrote

I’ve already done that. This is post drilling. It’s hardwood.

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Jeevess83 t1_j2b9gn5 wrote

Wd40?

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funlol3 OP t1_j2bchq5 wrote

Hmm. You think that’d be safe since it’s flammable? There’s a product I saw on Amazon called “stop creak” that might be good tho

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italy4242 t1_j2dgnez wrote

What would ignite it? The petroleum component evaporates pretty quickly

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Fine-Team-4296 t1_j2bv87h wrote

Shim it from underneath. I've a 105yo home and it's worked every time

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funlol3 OP t1_j2d6q0y wrote

This is a new home (2019) and on the 2nd floor. I don’t want to remove my ceiling to do this

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Fine-Team-4296 t1_j2domdz wrote

That's tough- see if you can get some powdered graphite..same as baby powder but works slightly better. I'm aware of it from my own research but have not tried it

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Fun-Ear-5163 t1_j2csz1c wrote

Let your old lady sleep for once!

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