What sort of contractor do I call to fix a squeeky floor?

[Jumpem]

Part of my living room floor squeeks when you walk on it. I feel the plywood under the carpet go down slightly when you step. Must be squeeking on a nail as it moves.

Can someont pull up the carpet in that area and screw down the wood (or whatever else it takes) to fix it? I'm looking for a cheap way out for now until I have $4-5k to replace 1,000sq.ft. of carpet.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You need to find out why the floor is squeaking. More details please. FYI, fixing the squeak could easily end up costing more than your carpet.

 

[feralkid]

What sort of contractor do I call to fix a squeeky floor?



Try a flooring contractor.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
You need to find out why the floor is squeaking. More details please. FYI, fixing the squeak could easily end up costing more than your carpet.

I know. I want someone to see if it is simply plywood sliding on a nail or if they have to pull up the plywood and look.

If it is anything ridiculous I guess I will be calling my home owners insurance company.

 

[PottedMeat]

Moving plywood?

This Old House fixed that with some special jig + screws:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/to...eo/0,,20045284,00.html

You drive the screw in and break it off inside the wood so it doesn't punch through.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Moving plywood?

This Old House fixed that with some special jig + screws:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/to...eo/0,,20045284,00.html

You drive the screw in and break it off inside the wood so it doesn't punch through.

That's basically what I was thinking. My problem area is where the carpet comes to a corner, so I think they could pull it up, screw the plywood, and put it back down.

 

[Sea Moose]

I seen that worms in the timber can cause squeaky floors. A guy was doing a pest inspection (i was fixing ac) and he tested the floors by pacing back and forth, he noticed some boards were squeaky. He went underneath the house (i came too i was interested) and there were worms in the timber boards. He then organised a carpenter to come and replace the boards and he treated some of the less infected areas.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Sea Moose
I seen that worms in the timber can cause squeaky floors. A guy was doing a pest inspection (i was fixing ac) and he tested the floors by pacing back and forth, he noticed some boards were squeaky. He went underneath the house (i came too i was interested) and there were worms in the timber boards. He then organised a carpenter to come and replace the boards and he treated some of the less infected areas.

That would certainly be bad. But the house is on a slab. the squeaks are on the second floor.

 

[Sea Moose]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Sea Moose
I seen that worms in the timber can cause squeaky floors. A guy was doing a pest inspection (i was fixing ac) and he tested the floors by pacing back and forth, he noticed some boards were squeaky. He went underneath the house (i came too i was interested) and there were worms in the timber boards. He then organised a carpenter to come and replace the boards and he treated some of the less infected areas.

That would certainly be bad. But the house is on a slab. the squeaks are on the second floor.

, so you might have worms in the second floor....

You asked the question, i geveth the answer of what i have seen. if its also on the second floor, floor might need reinforcement as another person mentioned.

 

[rockyct]

One apartment that I lived in while in college had squeaky floors. It also had a soft patch by the balcony door upstairs. When my roommate and I came back from the week off at Thanksgiving it had rained and water had gone under the balcony door and dripped through the wall/floor and made a nice puddle in our closet. We let the manager know about the problem but they didn't do anything about it. We ended up drilling some holes in the deck so less water went inside. The problem was with the gutter, but we weren't going to fix it for them. I'm sure there's a big problem with wood rot now in that apartment, but I guess the cost of some simple gutter work was too much for them.

After I left, my old roommate saw termite droppings everywhere in the ceiling. They were going to fumigate the place during winter break but my roommate didn't want to pay for the week the apartment would be fumigated. They ended up waiting until July because they didn't want to lose that week of rent.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
Part of my living room floor squeeks when you walk on it. I feel the plywood under the carpet go down slightly when you step. Must be squeeking on a nail as it moves.

Can someont pull up the carpet in that area and screw down the wood (or whatever else it takes) to fix it? I'm looking for a cheap way out for now until I have $4-5k to replace 1,000sq.ft. of carpet.

Are you unable to pull up the carpet yourself to take a look?

Some squeaky floor problems can be fixed by throwing down some baby powder to fill in the small cracks and "lubricate" the two sides of wood.

MotionMan

 

[olds]

If you are a cheapskate, drive ring shank nails through the carpet into the joists.

 

[skyking]

That could be fixed from below. It takes two people, one to squeak the floor and one to locate where the plywood is moving. Remove the insulation and shore up that area with a sister or a block between joists, plywood no longer moves.

Oops, my bad. I did not read about 2nd floor. The reason behind the squeak is the same regardless. There is a warped joist or something else that is causing the motion, not just a loose fastener. The one caused the other.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Though I have the tools to lay my own carpet, which satisfies the cheap side of me, it does nothing for the lazy side, also I know that if the wife saw half the rooms carpet pulled up she would say, "well gee, why don't we just buy new carpet". Two methods I have used to address your problem, was to set the depth gauge of my 16 gauge finish nailer by experimenting with scraps of carpet, pads, and plywood, and after finding the joists fired *multiple* times in the squeaky area. Keep in mind, that if you do not get the depth right you will quite literally be walking on nails. Screws, of coarse are better, but how do you drive a screw without tearing up the carpet? Glad you asked, using a soldering iron for nylon, or sizorz,(cuz, that's how I runz), for wool, trim away a small hole down to the carpet backing, then drive the screw, then hide the hole by gluing carpet fibers back into the hole.

 

[marvdmartian]

If you can locate where the floor joist is, you can fix this pretty easily. Usually squeaks happen where the subflooring attaches to the floor joist, and isn't down tight against the joist anymore.

Using a utility knife, cut a short (1/4") cut through the carpet and pad. Now drive a sheetrock screw through the plywood and into the joist, carefully making certain that you close the carpet up around the screw head as it seats, so the carpet covers the screw head. If you do it right, no one will ever know you did it. If you miss, no big deal, just relocate where you're driving the screw and do it again, without missing the joist this time!

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Just stop walking on the floor and float above it, DUHHH.

 

[iGas]

If you can't access from below use this old house method.

1. Pop open a beer.

2. Use 2.5" or longer drywall screws to screw down the plywood to the floor joist leaving 0.75"-1" expose above the plywood (approximately 0.5"-0.75" above the carpet backing) to flex/break with a well fitted metal tube/pipe over the screw (or use a hammer to tap it over to break off the screw). (Buy fine threads regular gauge drywall screws instead of heavy gauge coarse threads, and get a bar of paraffin wax or use bar soap to lubricate the screw before screw down to prevent unwanted screw snapping off at the wrong height/time).

3. Profit. The wife think that you are a regular hero and promise you sex the same night.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: iGas

If you can't access from below use this old house method.

1. Pop open a beer.

2. Use 2.5" or longer drywall screws to screw down the plywood to the floor joist leaving 0.75"-1" expose above the plywood (approximately 0.5"-0.75" above the carpet backing) to flex/break with a well fitted metal tube/pipe over the screw (or use a hammer to tap it over to break off the screw). (Buy fine threads regular gauge drywall screws instead of heavy gauge coarse threads, and get a bar of paraffin wax or use bar soap to lubricate the screw before screw down to prevent unwanted screw snapping off at the wrong height/time).

3. Profit. The wife think that you are a regular hero and promise you sex the same night.

I like the way this man thinks.

:thumbsup:

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Are you unable to pull up the carpet yourself to take a look?

Some squeaky floor problems can be fixed by throwing down some baby powder to fill in the small cracks and "lubricate" the two sides of wood.

MotionMan

I don't know how the carpet reattaches to those nail strip things.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Are you unable to pull up the carpet yourself to take a look?

Some squeaky floor problems can be fixed by throwing down some baby powder to fill in the small cracks and "lubricate" the two sides of wood.

MotionMan

I don't know how the carpet reattaches to those nail strip things.

carpet tack hammer

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Are you unable to pull up the carpet yourself to take a look?

Some squeaky floor problems can be fixed by throwing down some baby powder to fill in the small cracks and "lubricate" the two sides of wood.

MotionMan

I don't know how the carpet reattaches to those nail strip things.

carpet tack hammer

Or, if you fix the squeak, all you need is a carpet person to come in an tack it down. That has got to be cheaper than bringing someone in to start from scratch.

MotionMan

 

[iGas]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Are you unable to pull up the carpet yourself to take a look?

Some squeaky floor problems can be fixed by throwing down some baby powder to fill in the small cracks and "lubricate" the two sides of wood.

MotionMan

I don't know how the carpet reattaches to those nail strip things.

carpet tack hammer

Or, if you fix the squeak, all you need is a carpet person to come in an tack it down. That has got to be cheaper than bringing someone in to start from scratch.

MotionMan

I don't know of any contractor that up the carpet and underlining to fix the squeaks. Unless they are going to replace the carpet.

The method I mentioned above works with out the need to remove the carpet.

Why would anyone in their right mind would throw lube in the wood cracks when you can do it the right way and screw down the sub floor to the joist?

There are many ways to skin a cat, there are easy ways and there are difficult ways.

PS. "Carpet kicker" is the tool to use for re attach/stretch the carpet (in a pinch a home made piece of wood with nails in it will do the trick).

 

[us3rnotfound]

Originally posted by: iGas

If you can't access from below use this old house method.

1. Pop open a beer.

2. Use 2.5" or longer drywall screws to screw down the plywood to the floor joist leaving 0.75"-1" expose above the plywood (approximately 0.5"-0.75" above the carpet backing) to flex/break with a well fitted metal tube/pipe over the screw (or use a hammer to tap it over to break off the screw). (Buy fine threads regular gauge drywall screws instead of heavy gauge coarse threads, and get a bar of paraffin wax or use bar soap to lubricate the screw before screw down to prevent unwanted screw snapping off at the wrong height/time).

3. Profit. The wife think that you are a regular hero and promise you sex the same night.

4. Enjoy cutting your foot when testing if this method worked.

 

[imported_weadjust]

Presenting Squeeeeek No More® floor repair kit available at Lowe's

http://www.worksavers.com/squeek.html

 

[dabuddha]

I've got he same issue but it's in my kitchen. I'm going to eventually be replacing the flooring (currently have linoleum and gonna install hardwood floors later) so was thinking of driving some screws through the floor to "tighten" it (I have no idea if this would actually help any lol)