How To Fix A Squeaky Floor Between Joists

Floors and stairs squeak when wooden floorboards or structural elements rub against each other when the bridging between joists flexes under traffic or when floorboards have not been properly nailed to the subfloor.

How to fix a squeaky floor between joists.

To fix squeaks caused by large gaps from beneath the floor fasten a piece of scrap wood against the floor joist so that it fits snugly against the subfloor. Fill gaps with shims. Learning how to fix squeaky floors is simply a matter of determining which area the problem is coming from. The squeak ender is a brand of joist support available at most home repair stores for a couple of bucks a metal brace that connects between the joist and the squeaky subfloor.

Finding the exact cause of the squeak and then choosing the best remedy isn t always a simple task. Using shims or packers to fill gaps between can be a quick and effective fix. While the most involved of the three methods here bracing an existing joist with a 2 4 is the most effective solution for subfloor that squeaks due to. Hold the squeak ender s steel mounting plate against the joist then screw it to the plywood subfloor.

Brace joists with a 2 4. And fixing squeaky wood floors is fairly. Don t be surprised if you have to try several solutions before you stop it for good. In real life a squeak is no big deal that is they don t signal structural damage like termites that could cause your floor or joist to collapse.

Cut the blocking from the same size dimensional lumber as the joists. Tighten the nut with a wrench until the subfloor is pulled down snug against the floor joist. Squeaks are caused when the subfloor begins to separate from the floor joists. Tap a wood shim into the gap above the floor joist after smearing the shim with carpenter s glue.

Sometimes the squeak sound is not caused by the boards rubbing together but by the friction between the flooring and the joists. Another effective way to quiet squeaky floors is to install solid blocking in between the floor joists. If you have enough crawling space underneath your floor you might spot spaces between the sub flooring and the joist.