You are just walking through your room, and you just heard a squeaky noise from the floor. You again dab on that spot, and you again heard that noise. It’s actually the squeaky floor under the carpet, and if you didn’t want to hear that sound, again and again, you need to fix the floor. But, how to fix squeaky floors under carpet?
You can easily fix that squeaky noise under your floor even without lifting up the carpet. You just need some easily available home supplies like screwdrivers or studs, hammer, or drill. After following a simple process, there will be no squeaky noise. So let’s get started!
What are the reason behind squeaky floors under carpet?
Before getting to the solution of squeaky floors under carpet, first, know about the reasons behind it. The primary reason that your flooring may emit sounds as you move about the room is due to their age. It’s something you have no control over and, in most situations, does not constitute a threat; However, there can be other reasons, which can be problem causing:
Subfloor installed improperly
The subfloor is the layer beneath the carpet and cushioning for the carpet. It is often constructed of plywood but can also be made of wood, OSB board, or particleboard. It is installed on top of the floor joists and secured with nails or screws.
If the joists are not level, the subfloor will shift when you walk on it, gradually loosening the nails and resulting in tiny gaps between the flooring and the joists. When you walk over the spaces, the nail squeaks in the resulting loose hole.
Wrong Padding
With additional cushioning, padding helps carpets last longer, keeps wrinkles and pills at bay, and may even shield your subfloor from water damage. However, if padding is not of good quality, it will not take too much pressure, resulting in pressure on the floor, which will ultimately result in loose joists. This will, in the end, create squeaky noise.
Temperature and Humidity
Wooden planks and boards shrink as they age and dry out, which can result in squeaking noises as they rub against one another. Moreover, when it’s colder outside, hardwood floors will contract, and when it’s hotter, they’ll expand. This contraction and expansion will result in squeaky noise from the floor.
Are squeaky floors a structural problem?
No, squeaky floors are not a structural problem, so don’t be alarmed. It is just due to wrong subflooring, wrong padding, or due to temperature. Majorly it comes as a result of subfloor installed improperly.
As explained earlier, if joists in the subfloor aren’t level, the nails will progressively loosen as you walk on the flooring, and tiny gaps will emerge.
So don’t get alarmed, instead fix that squeaky noise by yourself or hire a professional to do it.
How to fix squeaky floors under carpet?
Fixing that squeaky noise from the floors is easy & you can do it even without lifting carpet. You don’t need to hire a professional to do it. Just follow the steps mentioned below & the squeaky noise will be gone from the floor in the end.
Supplies Required:
- Hammer or Joist Finder
- Electric Drill
- Deck Screws
- Pliers
- String or Yarn
1) Find the Creaking Board
To begin, you must first identify the source of the issue. Squeaky floors are obvious, but many homeowners don’t realize exactly where these boards are placed. Walk across the carpet until you identify the squeaky area’s perimeter.
If you are not able to find out, as a last resort, have someone lay down on the floor with their head near your feet, and they’ll be able to hear the sounds much better. Now, use string or yarn to mark the area.
2) Mark the Faulty Joists
It’s time to figure out which joist is broken and which way it’s going. There are several ways to do this, and you can choose which one you like best and easily.
1) Stud Finder
A stud finder is a tool that finds hidden wood beams (referred to as “studs” in walls) underneath surfaces. Switch on the stud finder and softly sweep it across the floor. The majority of stud finders employ lights or sounds to indicate when they are on top of a joist. With a string or tape measure, mark the location.
2) Hammer
Using a hammer instead of a stud or joist finder may be an option if you do not have one on hand. Return to the squeaky areas you identified and softly tap with a hammer there. Different noises will be heard depending on whether or not there are joists or not.
Hollow noises can be heard in areas where there are no joists. Finding the first joist is easy; just measure 16 inches from that point to determine where the second one is located.
3) Joist Finder
Floor repair kits come with tools to locate joists. These kits come with a tool that looks a lot like a screw if you choose to use it to mend the creaking floor under the carpet. It’s as simple as drilling a hole where you assume a joist is located.
Make sure the screw has pierced the wood before you remove it from the joist. If it’s fixed, you’re at the proper spot; if it isn’t, you’ll need to go back and retry.
3) Drive Screws in the Edges
Now, it is time to fix the board. It can be done in two ways, with the floor repair kit, and without the kit. Here’s how you can do it in both ways:
With a Kit
Attach the drill bit to the kit’s attachment using the included special screw. Place the tripod on a joist at one end of the noisy area and firmly press it into the carpet. Make sure your weight is exerted on the tripod such that the subfloor touches the joist. After that, drill as far as possible after inserting the screw into the tripod’s hole.
Using a tripod, you may rest assured that the screw will stop at the appropriate place. Repeat the previous process on the opposite end of the noisy joist. Moving on to the other joists, begin at the ends of each one in the squeaky area.
Without a Kit
Using drywall or deck screws instead of a kit is an alternative. A minimum length of three inches is required, with the top inch free of threads, as shown below.
Drive the screw into the carpet on top of a joist at one end of the squeaky region. Make sure the screw head is flush with the top of the carpet before tightening it down.
It’s the same procedure for the opposite end of the squeaky area. Soak screws into either end of the noisy area on the other joists before continuing with the installation.
4) Put the rest of the screws.
Once screws are installed at both ends of the same joist, tie a piece of string or a chalk line around one of the screws and extend it to the nail at the opposite end of the same joist.
Drive screws into the floor every 8 inches throughout the length of the string. Transfer your string to the next joist and repeat the process when you’re through with one joist.
5) Break the Screw Heads
Grip the head of the screw with a pair of pliers – preferably channel lock pliers. Approach the pliers as closely as possible to the subfloor. Back and forth, jerk the pliers until the screw head pops off.
Carry out this procedure for all of the screws on the floor. Finally, retrace your steps back over the previously squeaky region. The squeak has been eliminated!
How much does it cost to fix squeaky floors?
The only expense involved in repairing a squeaky floor yourself is the cost of materials. A kit similar to the ones indicated in this tutorial costs between $20 and $30. With no kit, you may anticipate spending as much as $10 on screws for the job. Ideally, the entire procedure will be completed in under two hours.
A skilled flooring specialist can fix your noisy floor for between $200 and $1,000.
Will carpet installers fix squeaky floors?
Squeaky flooring may be fixed by most experienced carpet fitters. It’s not uncommon for flooring firms to remedy subfloor issues before they even begin installing new flooring. The subfloor may need to be totally reinstalled as part of this process.
Be sure to alert the installers to any troublesome locations before they begin working.
Who can fix squeaky floors under carpet?
Fixing squeaky floors is not a big issue. You can do it yourself, with some easily available things & a simple guide, that we have mentioned earlier. However, if you don’t think you’ll be able to do it, you can call a professional.
Carpet installers or carpenters can even fix the squeaky floor. So tell them to fix that floor for you.
Bottom Line
This was all about how to fix squeaky floor under carpet. We mentioned two ways, both with a professional kit and without a kit. You can try any of them at your convenience.
We hope this article was helpful & informative. Leave your valuable thoughts & suggestions in the comments.
Thank you for reading!
