In cases where the finished flooring is loose, and you
cannot get at it from below, the fix is quite simple. Drill a small diameter
pilot hole for nailing. At an angle, drive a two and one half, or three inch,
finishing nail into the offending boards so that the nails go through the
subfloor. One nail goes on each side of the offending joint. The nails should
be driven in so that they catch the tongue edge of one board and the grooved
edge of the other board. Angle the nails in opposite directions, so the tips
point toward each other. Have someone stand on the boards while you nail them.
Do not drive the nails all the way down to the surface of the finished floor
board because you will damage the surface of the finished board with your
hammer. Drive the nails in to the point where the head of the nail is about a
half inch above the surface of the board. Drive the nails in the rest of the
way by using a nail set.
If you can get at the finished floor from below the squeak
can be easily repaired if it is coming from the subfloor and not the finished
floor. Shine a light on the subfloor from beneath and watch as someone walks
about upstairs. Pinpoint any movement of the subfloor boards. Then you can
drive a thin wooden wedge, coated with wood glue, between the joist and the
offending board in the subfloor.
While you are down there under the floor, check the bridging
strips too. They are those short pieces of wood that form the X shape between
the joists. Make sure they are nailed in securely. If they are loose, the
joists can twist, and that can leave a gap at the top of joist. If there is a
gap at the top of the joist, the flooring can move, and thus squeak.
The neatest way to secure loose finished floor boards is
from underneath also. If you can access the floorboards from below, you can
drive long wood screws up from underneath and they will pull the finished floor
boards down snug. The screws must be long enough to penetrate the subfloor and
go about two-thirds of the way into the finished floor board. You do not want
the screws to go right through the finished floor board!
In cases where you cannot get at the floor from underneath,
you can drive the screws in from above. Always drill a pilot hole for screws
going through the finished floor so that the finished floor boards do not
crack. Drill pilot holes whether you are driving the screws from underneath, or
above the finished floor. You will also need to counterbore the hole you
drilled for the screw. The counterbore should be just deep enough so that the
head of the screw will sit below the surface the floorboard when the screw is
in all the way. Once the screw is in, fill the hole with colored plastic wood,
or use a wood plug stained the same color as the floorboard. If you use a
wooden plug, put a little wood glue on it so it won’t come out.
A piece of dowel, stained to match, will also do as a plug. Once
the dowel is set, use a sharp chisel to make it level with the floorboard. Be
careful not to gouge the floorboard with the chisel.