Floor Squeaking Between Joists

Most floor squeaks occur because either the subfloor or finished floor is loose.

Floor squeaking between joists.

The squeak ender is a brand of joist support available at most home repair stores for a couple of bucks a metal brace that connects between the joist and. Squeaking over a large area may indicate that the joists beneath the floor are shifting slightly and inadequately supporting the subfloor. Steel bridging nailed between joists keeps the joists from moving side to side and stabilizes the subfloor. Floor squeaks are caused by wood rubbing against a nail other wood or even ductwork and piping.

Hold the squeak ender s steel mounting plate against the joist then screw it to the plywood subfloor. It should be placed at eight foot intervals between any floor joists 2x10 or longer. Squeaky floors can be extremely irritating. Another effective way to quiet squeaky floors is to install solid blocking in between the floor joists.

Fixing a squeaky floor caused by gaps between the subfloor and joist is easiest if you have a basement or an access space. Solid blocking should be used where floor joists overlap over beams. This product is a metal insert you can lodge between the subfloor and the joist and nail it in it also has two additional holes for nailing the insert diagonally up into the subfloor and joist for additional support. In real life a squeak is no big deal that is they don t signal structural damage like termites that could cause your floor or joist to collapse.

First find the source of the squeak. This can cause it to rub against a popped nail. Cut the blocking from the same size dimensional lumber as the joists. You ll have several options to stop it.

How to stop wood floors from squeaking. If the floor seems to be squeaking because the subfloor and the joists are loose the best way to remedy the issue is to install a brace to secure things and eliminate the irritating sound. Tap a wood shim into the gap above the floor joist after smearing the shim with carpenter s glue. Tighten the nut with a wrench until the subfloor is pulled down snug against the floor joist.

Additionally if the squeaking is the result of a bent or warped joist you could nail a straight board along its length similarly you can also attach a board snugly between two.