Squeaky Floorboards: Causes and How to Fix Them

What actually causes the squeak

A squeak is friction. Something is rubbing against something else as the floor flexes under your weight. In timber floors the usual suspects are:

• Boards rubbing against each other where they've shrunk apart
• Boards rubbing against the nails or screws holding them down
• Boards moving against the joists below because a fixing has worked loose
• Gaps between the joist and the subfloor letting things move

Timber is a living material. It expands and contracts with the seasons, and over years the fixings loosen and small gaps open up. That's why an old floor develops its own creaky map that you learn to step around.

Track down the source first

Before fixing anything, find exactly where the noise is.

1. Walk the floor slowly and mark each squeak with low-tack tape
2. Have someone rock on the spot while you watch (and listen) from below if you can access the subfloor
3. Note whether the squeak is at a board joint, mid-board, or near a wall

Knowing whether the movement is board-to-board or board-to-joist tells you which fix to use.

Fixes from above

Most people don't have subfloor access, so these are the common top-side fixes.

Lubricate the joint

For board-on-board squeaks, working a little talcum powder, graphite or dedicated floor lubricant into the gap reduces the friction. It's a quick, cheap first try and often buys real quiet.

Re-fix loose boards

If a board is lifting off the joist, driving a screw (countersunk and filled) down into the joist pulls it back tight. The trick is hitting the joist, not just the subfloor, so locate it first. Use the right screw length so you don't hit anything below.

Shim from below (if you can get under)

Where there's subfloor or basement access, a thin timber shim tapped and glued into the gap between a joist and a loose board stops the movement without any noise at all. This is the cleanest fix when it's available.

Fixes for floating and laminate floors

Floating floors squeak for different reasons, usually an uneven subfloor or a failed underlay. You generally can't screw these down without wrecking the click-lock system. Fixes involve identifying high spots, checking the expansion gap at the edges, and sometimes lifting and relaying a section. This is fiddlier and often a job worth handing over.

What to avoid

• Random screws everywhere. Missing the joist just adds squeaks and holes.
• Nailing back down. Nails work loose again; screws hold.
• Over-lubricating. A little powder goes a long way; too much just makes a mess.
• Ignoring sponginess. Soft, bouncy spots aren't a lubrication job.

The Melbourne factor

Plenty of Melbourne homes have original hardwood floors, especially period homes in the inner suburbs, and those solid boards are well worth preserving. Seasonal swings between our dry winters and humid summers make timber floors move noticeably, so some squeak is normal and comes and goes. Newer homes with engineered or floating floors squeak for subfloor reasons instead.

If the squeaks are widespread, the floor feels like it's moving more than it should, or you'd rather not go poking holes in good hardwood, MB Handymen & Carpentry can locate the joists, fix the boards properly and finish the repair neatly. Easy to bundle with other carpentry jobs while we're on site.