How to Fix Squeaky Floors

You just can't hide any longer, we know you have squeaky floors and now would be the perfect time to repair them! Life's just too short to live with squeaky floors. . . order your fix today!

According to Webster: "SQUEAK'ITIS is defined as a severe and debilitating mental condition, resulting from long-term exposure to unwanted and really, really annoying sounds."

Larry here suffers from it because he just waited too long to fix his squeaky floors. Please don't let this happen to you! Just find the best product that suits your needs and be free from squeaks for the rest of your life.

First Floor Or Second Floor... No Problem!
Carpeted Floors, Tile Floors, Vinyl Floors, Hardwood Floors... No Problem!

Tired of Squeaky Floors?

What causes floors to become squeaky?

For the most part, floor squeaks occur when the subfloor has worked its way loose from the joist. When that happens, the floor is free to move up and down when it’s walked on which, in turn, allows the nail (which originally held the floor down) to rub against the fibers in the wood causing the squeaky sound.

It really doesn’t matter how old your home is: squeaky floors can develop at anytime for just about any reason. Some of the most common include; poor workmanship, inadequate design and use of materials, inadequate use of fasteners and something that may surprise you - Mother Nature herself. Even a new home that is only a few years old can develop squeaky floors.

I can understand poor workmanship and maybe the builder not using enough fasteners, but Mother Nature? Please explain!

It’s simple. Wood is a very porous material (especially construction grade pine) which continuously expands and contracts with changes in moisture content. With climatic changes constantly occurring (dry winters and humid summers) together with our continual use of heating and air conditioning systems, wood actually expands and contracts on a regular basis, which can cause virtually any fastener to weaken over time. Keeping this in mind, you can actually say that Mother Nature is probably one of the most common reasons squeaky floors develop.

How do I fix a squeaky floor?

Simply speaking, what needs to be done is to permanently re-attach the floor to the joist. Once you recreate the original bond, you stop the floor from moving and you eliminate the squeak.

Can I fix squeaky floors myself (DIY)?

Yes, you can fix a squeaky floor yourself. However, how much time and effort you spend fixing them is completely up to you.

What are some of the ways to repair squeaky floors?

Squeaky floors can be repaired using cleats, bracing, gluing, re-screwing or a combination of all the above. Or you can simply use Squeak-Relief to provide permanent re-attachment. Shims are never recommended, as they will actually damage the floor causing additional problems.

If you don't have access to the joist and sub-flooring then you can use the Squeak-No-More Floor Repair Kit that works from the top surface! It makes quick second story floor repairs and works right through carpeting or other floor coverings.

Couldn’t you just use shims to stop the squeaking?

That’s probably one of the worst things you could do to fix a squeaky floor. When you use a shim and place it between the floor and joist, what you’re actually doing is only filling the gap that caused the squeak, however, you're not really reattaching the subfloor back to the joist.

Using shims is not only a temporary fix, it actually causes more damage and more squeaks by lifting the floor and loosening the surrounding fasteners creating a cycle that never ends. In addition, if you’re not careful, you could easily insert the shim too deep and actually cause more damage by raising the floor. You could also cause damage to the floor by creating a noticeable "hump" in the floor where the shim was inserted.

At SqueakyFloor.com, you’ll find not one, not two, but three of the best DIY products to fix virtually any squeaky floor. Don’t call a professional and spend a lot of money to fix those annoying squeaks. Checkout our patented Squeak-Relief, Squeak-No-More and Counter-Snap systems.