RENOVATION WORKSHOP: FIXING CREAKY FLOORBOARDS

Creaky floorboards can be a sign all is not well underfoot — as well as being downright irritating. Natasha Brinsmead offers a quick repair guide to solving this common problem

- Natasha Brinsmead

Owners of period properties are rarely strangers to creaky floorboards — but even modern properties can suffer if floors were not fixed properly to begin with.

There are several causes of creaking floorboards and in order to fix them it’s important to get to the root of the problem.

WHAT CAUSES THE CREAKS?

There are several causes of squeaky floorboards, some are down to wear and tear and others can be traced back to the original installation. Below are the most common causes of creaking:

● A gap between the top of the floor joist (in the case of suspended floors) and the floorboard

● Incorrect or loose nails securing the floorboards to the joists

● Weakened floor joists

● Inadequate or uneven underlay (in the case of floating floors)

● Unacclimatised floorboards

● Boards that have got wet.

FIXING SUSPENDED BOARDS

Before you begin fixing creaky floorboards you will first need to locate the exact spot the squeak is coming from. You can simply walk around the room and mark the spot but it helps if you can get someone else to do this while you watch for movement and listen at the same time. Once you have pinpointed the troublesome spot, you can investigate the cause, before putting it right.