Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 12:22 PM

I just moved to a new apartment, and the floors squeak like a motherf*cker. I looked around a bit, and found the "squeeeak-no-more" kit, which sounds like a pretty convincing strategy. But I just now tried it, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. Basically it works by finding a spot where the floor was nailed to the joist and somehow became or stayed loose, causing friction between the nail and the wood to make the squeak sound. With the kit, you screw it down tight again, break-away the screw head and you're done. I was afraid I would have trouble finding a joist, or that the head wouldn't break off, or that it would leave an ugly spot on the carpet, but luckily none of those happened. What did happen is that the squeak is not alleviated. I put down 6 screws about 2.5 inches apart, along a joist with a very distinct and loud squeak. No improvement.

So what else can I try? Has anyone ever fixed a squeaky floor? Do I need to keep putting in more screws before it starts to work?

Thanks for any ideas

subego · Dec 12, 2012, 01:16 PM

Flip it.

knifecarrier2 · Dec 12, 2012, 01:29 PM

Get leukemia on it. Or try smashing in a nixon watch.

No but seriously glue and screw it. Go into your basement, find the joist, line the top edge with construction adhesive, and go upstairs and smash as many big ass screws as you can into it.

knifecarrier2 · Dec 12, 2012, 01:31 PM

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Flooring/Floor-Repair/how-to-fix-squeaky-floors/View-All

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 02:23 PM

What do you do if it's not right above a basement? Do you cut down the ceiling to get to the joist, then put up a new ceiling?

subego · Dec 12, 2012, 02:28 PM

You can give this a shot. I've never used it though.

http://www.squeaknomore.com/

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 02:39 PM

Yeah that's the thing I tried in the OP. I really thought it would work, at least some. Maybe I was using it wrong... has anyone tried it?

knifecarrier2 · Dec 12, 2012, 03:07 PM

Honestly what is going to HOLD the floor down is the head of the screw/nail. Snapping off the head will do nothing, as the floor can pop right back up. I used deck screws when i did my floor in my shop, the thing is super, super solid, but I also used construction adhesive. If you really don't want to tear up the ceiling... you could try drilling a small hole, and pressurizing some adhesive down into the hole. Then throw some major weight on that area, and drive some screws down into it.

BLAZE_MkIV · Dec 12, 2012, 03:17 PM

No they have special double head screws with a stressed point above the first "head" were it will snap off.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 03:19 PM

@knifecarrier
I'll think about that. How many screws and/or how close together?

Do you know anything about carpet? I've got a carpet here, and I think replacing it would be a budget-buster (given that I'm renting this apartment). One site mentioned cutting a slit in the carpet for putting a screw through, implying that you simply put the carpet back in place and most people wouldn't notice the slit. Do you think that would work? Or is there some kind of repair-in-place method for re-sealing that slit?

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV

No they have special double head screws with a stressed point above the first "head" were it will snap off.

~~How is that better than a regular screw? The point of the snap-off heads I'm using is that they don't leave a visible head behind. If it does leave one, then why not just use that one for driving?~~

Oops, I think I misread you as saying "now" not "no" (responding to me not ca$h)

These one's don't have two heads, and all that's left behind is a completely headless screw, so the only thing holding the floor in place is the threads. I thought that would be enough, but after trying it I can imagine that maybe it isn't afterall.

knifecarrier2 · Dec 12, 2012, 03:30 PM

You could try to slit it... but vacuuming it will expose it. It really depends on the style of carpet. Shag will hide cuts pretty easy.

subego · Dec 12, 2012, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

Yeah that's the thing I tried in the OP. I really thought it would work, at least some. Maybe I was using it wrong... has anyone tried it?

Whoops! My bad!

The only way I could see you using it wrong is not screwing them in deep enough before snapping them off.

Did it stop the squeaking before snappage?

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 12, 2012, 06:12 PM

I actually haven't snapped them yet. I did one, to see if it would work, and the rest I left whole so I wouldn't forget where they were while I'm still troubleshooting.

Coldwater · Dec 12, 2012, 07:13 PM

Depending on how far you want to get into the floor, there are a few points to look at. How much flex in the joists. Thickness of wood flooring . Is it tongue and groove flooring and the type of wood. Width of wood flooring. Signs of previous water damage. Is the flooring crowning off the joist. How much movement between the pieces. Noisy over entire floor, or just mainly high traffic areas?

BLAZE_MkIV · Dec 12, 2012, 07:33 PM

These one's don't have two heads, and all that's left behind is a completely headless screw, so the only thing holding the floor in place is the threads. I thought that would be enough, but after trying it I can imagine that maybe it isn't after all.

The ones without the false head are for hardwood floors not carpet. The threads will bite and hold in the solid wood but not in plywood.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 13, 2012, 03:05 AM

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV

These one's don't have two heads, and all that's left behind is a completely headless screw, so the only thing holding the floor in place is the threads. I thought that would be enough, but after trying it I can imagine that maybe it isn't after all.

The ones without the false head are for hardwood floors not carpet. The threads will bite and hold in the solid wood but not in plywood.

Then again (what I crossed out), what is the point of having a false head instead of the regular true head?

BadKosh · Dec 13, 2012, 04:08 AM

Pull up the carpet, and put some talcum powder around the area. It will quiet the squeaks.

BLAZE_MkIV · Dec 13, 2012, 04:19 AM

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

Then again (what I crossed out), what is the point of having a false head instead of the regular true head?

You can drive the screw home without twisting the carpet around your drill.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 13, 2012, 04:45 AM

Originally Posted by Coldwater

Depending on how far you want to get into the floor, there are a few points to look at. How much flex in the joists. Thickness of wood flooring . Is it tongue and groove flooring and the type of wood. Width of wood flooring. Signs of previous water damage. Is the flooring crowning off the joist. How much movement between the pieces. Noisy over entire floor, or just mainly high traffic areas?

I don't know anything behind the carpet, and as I mentioned I just moved here so I can only guess as to traffic patterns, but it does seem likely that it's only high-traffic: there is a hot spot in front of the fridge, in the living room right where you would walk through it from the hallway to the kitchen, in the smaller bedroom in front of the closet, and in the larger bedroom in the middle (right around one bed length from each wall). What does high-traffic focal points suggest?

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 13, 2012, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by BadKosh

Pull up the carpet, and put some talcum powder around the area. It will quiet the squeaks.

I thought that method was focused on wood planks(?). This apartment was remodeled just before we moved in, and while I don't know that the carpets are new, I suspect they would have taken the chance to put new carpets, and given the slap-dash quality of the paint and fixtures, I would be very surprised if the floor under the carpet is anything but the cheapest option, which I thought was plywood. The hot-spots are not consistent with the edges of 4x8 sheets of plywood. But I have a lot of assumptions in here... is the talcum method not what I think it is? I would just give it a try, if it didn't mean tearing out carpet that's not mine to tear.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 13, 2012, 04:54 AM

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

Then again (what I crossed out), what is the point of having a false head instead of the regular true head?

You can drive the screw home without twisting the carpet around your drill.

Hmm. Presumably the part of your drill touching the carpet would be a philips head driver right? I don't see how that would entangle a carpet. A drill bit, sure, but a screwdriver?

Coldwater · Dec 13, 2012, 08:11 AM

To alleviate possible frustration and unnecessary work I would go to a closet and pull up the carpet. Primarily, you need to know what is it you are trying to repair, plywood, old tongue and groove, strand board,particle board, etc. Sometimes the cheapest option is to just go over the existing floor, which could have been anything, with carpet. Or ask the owner what was covered up.
High traffic areas can be where solid surfaces like plywood, particle board, become weak enough that they lose their strength and no amount of nails or screws will stop the squeak. Tongue and groove or planking will move over time because the joist flex, or fasteners will rust enough to allow movement. This happens around areas that get wet, where people walk in from outside with wet shoes, or spill liquid in front of the refrigerator, sinks, or bath areas. If it becomes so annoying, contact a carpet layer and ask him how much he would charge to stretch the carpet back if you were to pull it back to fix the problem areas.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 13, 2012, 10:55 AM

Good advice, thanks. Question: if it's one of those situations you described, where "no amount of nails or screws will stop it," what is the alternative there? Put in new wood?

I guess I should mention that my real priority is to fix the upstairs apartment's squeaks. It's annoying when I make a creak while walking, but it's 10x worse when someone else does it upstairs and it wakes me up. So I'm trying to use my floor as a prototype for going to bug him to let me fix his.

Coldwater · Dec 13, 2012, 07:44 PM

Yes, New wood, screws with construction glue along the tops of the joist. If you take up the wood make sure the tops of the joist have not broken down from moisture or other fasteners. You may have to add 1x2 s on the side and flush with the tops of the joist if its too chewed up. Understand I don't know the age or how the building has been constructed or the floor plan. All I can do is give you some advice from the information you give me. If the floor above is the same layout as yours then you'll have a good idea what to expect. I think that to try to fix the floor above might be a bit much if you haven't done work in remodeling. Not only would you have to hold yourself to a high quality of work, but you will have to be sure that you don't inconvenience him. Another alternative would be to install sound deadening from below. Then you can do it at your own convenience. This site gives you some ideas as to what methods are out there. http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/soundproofing-solutions/soundproof-a-ceiling/. Search in your area for a company that can come out and look/listen while your neighbor walks around upstairs.

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 20, 2012, 11:44 AM

Update: after snapping off the screw heads and leaving it alone, I later discovered one of the screws was still protruding, but only when I step there. Simply feeling with my hand I couldn't find it. It soon became clear that the floor was flexing under my weight, with the screw protruding only under load. To me this demonstrates that whatever the floor is made of, the threads of the screw are not enough to grip it. I still don't want to remove the carpet, but I am considering trying to put down traditional screws to see if a screw head would make the difference. Especially now that there is an unoccupied hole either way.