Evening star., 1954-12-11
End Floor squeaks
With Proper Nail,
Or Screw and PIuq
BY David 6. Boreuther

By David 6. Boreuther
squeaking fioors are one Of
the most common problems in
houses. They are almost al
ways caused by the loosening
of nails that hold the subfioor-
ing to the joists. Shrinkage and
drying out Of the lumber causes
the nails TO loosen.
SqueakS in q first floor are
often the easiest to get rid Of.
A floor over q plastered ceiling
offers more Of q problem.
When q first floor il over q
basement or crawl space, with
the underside Of the floor struc-
ture exposed to view, you can
get under 1t and watch for move
ment In the boards while sone-
one steps back and forth on
the suueaky place.
When the space between the
faulty board and the joist is
only paper thin. q few finishing
nails may stop the squeaks. Drive
these nails at slight angles
through the finish flooring, sub
flooring and down into the joist.
Use a nail set for the last blow
to avoid marring the floor. Or
an adequately long wood screw
may do the trick, in which case
it's wise to countersink the
screw head far enough to allow
for q wood plug on top Of 1t to
saye the appearances OF the
floor.
Where q joist or gubfio0r has
warped and there Is q noticeable
space between them at the
squeaking point. a wedge, such
as the thin end ,of a wood
shingle, may be driven between
them. Nails are then driven down
through the door to hold the
wedges In place.
Resin-coated finishing nails
or casing nails, about two inches
long. are best for this use. At
least two nails driven at differ
ent angles are needed for each
squeaking point. Nail holes left
by the nailset can be filled
with wood putty or wood filler.
Tighten From Below.
Another way to bring q floor
down tightly is to nail strip OF
hardwood to the top edge Of q
j6ist and then drive screws up
through this into the subfioor to
pun the boards down. Use screws
only long enough to go through
the strip and well into the sub
floor without going through the
finish flooring above.
Over a plastered ceiling 1t Is
difficult to locate the spacing and
direction Of joists. One way to
do it is to tap gently on the cell
ing with your knuckles. Spaces
between joists will ring hollow.
Joists win sound solid. When
you locate a solid strip, indi-
eating a joist. measure the dis
tance from the nearest outer
wall, which will be In the same
place upstairs. Then you can
usually figure that the joists are
spaced 16 inches on centers and
so you can determine the joist
located under the squeak.
Nails and screws through the
flooring are about all you can
rely on upstairs.
u without Nails.
Since hardwood finish flooring
covers the original nails that
hold subfiooring to joists, you
may be able to remedy mild
squeaks by forcing the floor
down without additional nails.
To do this, take up the rug or
carpet. place several layers of
old newspapers or old carpeting
on the floor for a pad. put a.
block on top Of this end pound
the block vigorously.
Another stop gap for mild
squeaks is to puff talcum powder
into cracks between floor boards.
This lubricates the rubbing points
and silences the squeak without
stopping the movement. Some
people suggest powdered graph
lite, which is used for automobile
locks. But graphite is black and
messy and will not enhance the
appearance Of a hardwood floor.