How to eliminate the creak of a wooden floor

Many old houses still have wooden floors. Wooden floor has long been considered a sign of prosperity. A tree is a strong and durable material that will last for several decades. Therefore, many owners do not dare to get rid of wooden floors, because it is considered an environmentally friendly material and keeps the heat in the room. But there is such an unpleasant problem with the old wooden floor, as a characteristic sound.

The creaking of wooden floors is a common phenomenon and many are wondering how to eliminate the creak of woodensex.

Let's see what are the reasons and what to do when the wooden floors creak:

According to professionals, sound can appear due to friction:

• when the parquet board lagged behind the ground;
• there was a split of one or more laths;
• boards have cracked;
• a groove or a ridge has broken;
• loose nails or screws;
• fasteners come out;
• near the walls there is no gap;
• when the ends of the boards come into contact with the lags.

Let's figure out what kind of floor construction is installed in your room:

1. The floor construction consists of sheets of fiberboard, which are laid on a concrete base. On top of the concrete lay logs( wooden beams) at a distance of about 40 centimeters from each other. The top layer is sewn with plywood or chipboard, and then a layer of fiberboard is laid.
2. A common construction - directly on the concrete floor, lags are installed, on top of which wooden boards are attached.

Wooden boards are nailed to the logs with usual nails, which, with time, under load( walking, running, moving furniture) are loosened. It is impossible to get rid of the characteristic squeak forever. The only option that allows you to remove the creak of the wooden floor - remove the old boards, and in their place to lay new ones. This work is considered difficult and expensive, so we will get rid of the creaking by known methods.

When it's impossible to reach the bottom of the floor, then the boards can be screwed with screws to the lags directly from the top.

Methods for getting rid of the creaking

There are several methods how to remove the creak of a wooden floor:

• wedging the wedges;
• filling of formed holes with mounting foam;
• application of anchors made of metal;
• plywood laying over boards;
• tightening with self-tapping screws;
• floor screed.

Let's consider in more detail the methods of getting rid of squeaks.

Knocking on the wedges

The main reason why the wooden floor creaks is poorly attached to the joists or wooden beams. When people walk on the floor, then the boards are rubbed over time, and as a result of this friction, a special creaking occurs. To get rid of friction, in the space between the boards small wooden chips or wedges are clogged.

If the reason for the creaking is the friction of two or more boards with each other, then the wedges are driven into the slots at a certain distance, but not more than 15-20 centimeters and so that they do not become one level with the floor.

In order to eliminate the creaking by wedging the wedges, such materials and tools are needed:

• hammer;
• metal rod;
• wedges are wooden.

With the help of a hammer, the wedge is slammed into the formed slot. If necessary - a thin layer of putty on wood is applied to this place and left to dry completely.

If your slot is very small and there is no possibility to insert a wooden chip, such spaces are covered with graphite powder or talc.

Filling holes with mounting foam

Despite the fact that this method is considered inefficient and costly, some beginners in the construction industry still try to eliminate the creak in this way.

In order to perform a minimum repair of the boards, fill the holes with mounting foam. Drying, the foam expands and freezes. Thus, it gives a hardness to the coating.

The inefficient use of mounting foam is proved by the fact that with the load that occurs the foam is blown and crumbled, which means that an unpleasant scratch will return again.

Application of metal anchors

When a concrete slab lies at the base of your wooden covering, then a metal anchor can be used to eliminate the creaking. They are fixed by hand. The actions are as follows:

1. Electric drill or perforator drill small holes in the board and concrete slab.
2. Install the shell of metal.
3. Screw the anchor.

This method allows you to quickly get rid of the creaking, but it is considered quite time-consuming and expensive, since the cost of one anchor is about 10-15 rubles. To eliminate the creaking in the same room you need to install no less than 200 pieces!

Plywood padding

An affirmative answer to the question "Why the wooden floor creaks" many masters of laying wooden floors answer to get rid of the creaking, you can lay a plywood sheet over the base. The thickness of the plywood should be 12 millimeters. It is desirable to lay the sheets at an angle, in the direction of the main laying of the boards.

But with confidence to say that after such repairs the squeak will never return, it is impossible, but the fact that it will disappear for a long time is true.

We tighten floors with screws

One of the effective ways to combat scratching floors is to lift the boards with screws. Such a method will be effective if the scratch occurs as a result of friction of the board with a lag.

In this case, it is considered problematic to find the place where the lag is located, and also to determine whether any communications pass under the defective board.

All the work to eliminate the squeak is that it is necessary to screw in two or three screws in several places.

Work plan:

1. The work is carried out using an electric drill.

2. On one side of the damaged board, a hole is drilled through the floorboard to reach the lag.

3. A screw or nail is inserted into this hole( by the way, nails are considered more practical).

4. It is necessary to consider the size of the cap, because it must be completely recessed into the board.

Floor screed

Floor screeding work is also called a "bulkhead" and is referred to the most time-consuming process of eliminating squeaks. In addition, along with that, the process is labor-intensive, it is considered low-cost. The "bulkhead" is nothing more than a complete revision of the state of the floorboard and the lag. As soon as a defect is found, a decision is made as to how it will be eliminated.

The effectiveness of this method is that during testing all the nails and self-tapping screws must be replaced, so the method is also called the floor screed.

When the nail is sitting tightly in the wood, there is no squeaking, but as soon as the metal begins to loosen in the wood, rust - there is a backlash and as a consequence - a characteristic sound.

If you replace old nails with new ones or install self-tapping screws - the problem disappears.

About the non-widespread methods of

In addition to the methods described above, the creak of wooden floors can be eliminated as follows:

1. In the formed slots between the boards, or between the wall and the board, fill with wooden chips, and they are smeared with special sealant for wooden bases. In the composition of this sealant, in addition to varnish and paint, there are shredded wooden sawdust, which fill the gap space.
2. With the help of a rope made of synthetic materials and PVA glue, the space between the boards is filled, and the slit itself is covered with a thin layer of a filler mixture, which can be prepared independently. To do this, part of the shredded sawdust is taken and mixed with the PVA glue. In addition, small slits can be filled with wood wax.

When creaking one floorboard, the creak is removed as follows:

1. Prepare the necessary accessories: sawdust from wood, nails, floor paint, drill, hammer and nail.
2. Identify the problem board and drill a small hole with a drill. Watch for the drill to enter the tree deep and reach the concrete base.
3. Screw a nail or screwdriver into the screw so that the cap is recessed.
4. Do not leave hats on the surface of the wooden floor, because this can damage the cover, and it also becomes dangerous for operation.
5. Test your work - walk on the floorboard. If it squeaks - screw in another screw or drive a nail, but only from the opposite end of the board.
6. If several boards are creaking, then it is necessary to do the same for damaged boards. But do not forget that if a large area of ​​coverage is damaged, then this method will not be considered effective.

This video will allow you to learn more about the defects of the floor, due to which there is a creak, as well as how to get rid of unpleasant sound: