Anyone who has solid wood flooring in their home will at some point have heard the annoying creaking and squeaking of the boards rubbing together. Even the lightest of feet can make the boards creak. Although there are no one fixes all answer, there are a few techniques you can try that prove to be effective.
Most of the annoying noises are caused by the planks rubbing together under pressure. Atmospheric conditions can cause wood to shrink and expand. When there is no room for movement the wood is forced to push against the next plank which causes the squeak, known as side to side creaking. A simple technique for this problem is to lubricate the affected areas with graphite powder. Work the graphite powder into the seam with a cloth until the squeak is silent.
When a squeak begins between the solid wood flooring planks and sometimes underneath, this is generally due to a low quality underlay. In some circumstances the wooden flooring will need to screwed into the floor to prevent the squeak.
At JG Flooring, when we have to do this to save a badly installed floor we will have to pre-drill the plank and then nail the plank to the subfloor whilst adding pressure to the plank. If we have to use screws to fix the planks to the subfloor, it is essential that the planks are pre-drilled as this will prevent the planks from splitting.
A common cause of squeaking is due to the solid wooden flooring being installed without an expansion gap at the wall. We recommend leaving a few mm gap away from the wall to allow the planks to expand without pressuring the other planks. Usually this gap is hidden by the skirting boards or a matching wooden strip that is fix between the boards on skirting.
