# Squeaky Floorboard--Maintainence Issue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615 "2017-04-02T22:17:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/1 "2017-04-02T22:17:55Z")
OK, I live in a 60-odd year old ex-apartment-now-condo. A squeaky floorboard has turned up, after I re-arranged some furniture. Is this a repair issue? Note–this is the first real estate I have ever owned. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/2 "2017-04-02T22:24:57Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > OK, I live in a 60-odd year old ex-apartment-now-condo. > > A squeaky floorboard has turned up, after I re-arranged some furniture. > > Is this a repair issue? > > Note–this is the first real estate I have ever owned. Only if it bothers you. By moving the furniture you have redistributed the weight on the joists, causing them to move up or down vertically. A floorboard now has a tiny bit of room to move and squeak. If it is a traditional wooden strip floor, there is no really simple fix, besides moving the furniture around again until it goes away. There is a small chance it will settle back down on it’s own. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/3 "2017-04-02T22:45:35Z")
If you are asking if the squeak is a warning that your floor is getting ready to collapse, that is very unlikely. Unless the exact right woods are used, and the exact right construction, and the exact best environment is maintained throughout the life of the structure, sooner or later boards will change slightly in size and shape and all sorts of small quirks will develop. The things to watch out for, are things like sudden “soft spots” where there were none before, or the appearance of sawdust in some areas. That can indicate rot or an infestation of termites. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/4 "2017-04-02T22:54:39Z")
Here’s [a clip from “This Old House”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iAseVZZKlY) on how to fix that. ---
**Author:** ![Drummond\_Bays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@Drummond\_Bays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drummond_Bays)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/5 "2017-04-02T23:04:36Z")
Try a single finishing nail. You might get lucky. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/6 "2017-04-03T04:05:32Z")
We had a squeaky spot in our bedroom. When I removed the carpet to put in laminate, I took the time to fix the squeak by driving several 3” drywall screws into the floor, pulling it down tightly against the floor joist. The fix lasted about two years, but now the squeak is back. Arrgh… ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/7 "2017-04-03T04:47:02Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > OK, I live in a 60-odd year old ex-apartment-now-condo. > [@igor\_frankensteen](#): > > If you are asking if the squeak is a warning that your floor is getting ready to collapse, that is very unlikely. They built residences much better back then than they do now. Your building is aging. That’s normal. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/8 "2017-04-03T07:30:52Z")
I’m sure the guy who lives below me can track where I am just by where the squeaks/groans/what-have-you floorboard sounds are coming from. 100 year old building. My parents house has had the same squeak in the same place by the kitchen phone since the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/9 "2017-04-09T22:39:31Z")
Our bedroom is at the top of the steps. We use the hallway and staircase squeaks to monitor the urchins trying to sneak in and out after curfew. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/10 "2017-04-09T23:01:38Z")
Wood swells and expands in humidity. Shrinks in dry weather. Your squeak may disappear after the weather changes. I wouldn’t modify the floor anytime soon. See how it changes throughout the various seasons. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/11 "2017-04-09T23:17:30Z")
You could hang a Hygrometer on the closest wall. Notice the readings when the squeak is present and the new readings when it goes away. A inexpensive one is all you need. > **[BestAir Hygrometer - HG050-PDQ-4 | Blain's Farm & Fleet](https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/744379-bestair-hygrometer.html?feedsource=3&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt6fHBRDtm9O8xPPHq4gBEiQAdxotvNRg1GzPjfvxjY_IPyEwi918xDn4uq7cgrVTLYZE7UMaArmd8P8HAQ)** > > Get your BestAir Hygrometer - HG050-PDQ-4 at Blain's Farm & Fleet. Buy online, choose delivery or in-store pickup. Great prices on Hygrometers. I think the squeak will disappear in low humidity. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/12 "2017-04-09T23:33:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > You could hang a Hygrometer on the closest wall. > > Notice the readings when the squeak is present and the new readings when it goes away. > > A inexpensive one is all you need. > [BestAir Hygrometer - HG050-PDQ-4 | Blain's Farm & Fleet](https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/744379-bestair-hygrometer.html?feedsource=3&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt6fHBRDtm9O8xPPHq4gBEiQAdxotvNRg1GzPjfvxjY_IPyEwi918xDn4uq7cgrVTLYZE7UMaArmd8P8HAQ) > I think the squeak will disappear in low humidity. I’ve got humidity in the 40-49% range. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/13 "2017-04-10T01:45:44Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > We had a squeaky spot in our bedroom. > When I removed the carpet to put in laminate, I took the time to fix the squeak by driving several 3” drywall screws into the floor, pulling it down tightly against the floor joist. The fix lasted about two years, but now the squeak is back. > Arrgh… Had you used 3 inch wood screws you may have had better success. Wood screws don’t have thread the 3/4" next to the head, which allows the head to apply more compression force. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/14 "2017-04-10T21:13:28Z")
I moved a trunk that I used as an end table away from that general area. It was full of magazines. Rather heavy. A cause? ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/15 "2017-04-11T01:01:21Z")
See post #2. It isn’t an incipient maintenance issue. If it bothers you, try any of the above methods to silence the squeak. It is difficult to fix it without the repair being visible. AND there is a non zero chance that repairing one spot will make the floor squeak in another spot. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squeaky-floorboard-maintainence-issue/783615/16 "2017-04-11T04:11:33Z")
This won’t work if there’s a carpet down, and it may not work in any case, but I have had success with a squeaky floor by sprinkling talcum powder into the squeaky area. If it’s a throw carpet pick it up, sprinkle, replace throw rug. If it’s a bare floor sprinkle it into the area between boards if they aren’t tight–and if it’s an old floor they probably aren’t. Then wipe up the excess so you don’t slip. Worked for me on one area of my living room that squeaked but did not work on the stairs, so YMMV, but it’s a cheap thing to try.