Having read most of web site contributors comments on this subject, I am becoming desparingly pessimistic about any solution being possible! We have lived in our Barrett home for eleven years since it was new. The floorboards have squeaked from day one and we went through the builder/NHBC procedure which resulted in their saying nothing could be done! My husband has screwed down every upstairs piece of chipboard which has helped in some places but not in areas where the boards have been cut for access to pipes - it is like a jigsaw puzzle on the landing! We had a two storey extention built this year and low and behold.....the floorboards creak like hell! The builder has returned and put a brace in at one point - it is now worse than ever as it is creaking everywhere else! This is a real nightmare and I would pay anything to resolve it. Any suggestions for a PERMANENT solution?
creaking floorboards
- Thread starter mornin haze
- Start date
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I have the same problem in my new house. When we picked up the keys there wasn't a single squeak. As soon as the carpets went down and the house started getting warmed up the floors squeaks like a colony of mice are living underneath them. Just have to live with it I guess.
I would asssume that constant expansion/contraction of the boards is occuring because of the change in temperature?
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Thanks for your replies, a problem shared is a problem halved 
I'm not so sure it is temperature related as it happens throughout the year (and the noise is more like a farmyard than a colony of mice!) One would hope the value had indeed gone up in eleven years but I wonder if the noisy floorboards would deter a prospective buyer? I certainly won't buy another house if the floorboards creak when I view it. I guess its all down to quality of build - it probably wouldn't happen with a Berkeley home.
I'm not so sure it is temperature related as it happens throughout the year (and the noise is more like a farmyard than a colony of mice!) One would hope the value had indeed gone up in eleven years but I wonder if the noisy floorboards would deter a prospective buyer? I certainly won't buy another house if the floorboards creak when I view it. I guess its all down to quality of build - it probably wouldn't happen with a Berkeley home.
Chipboard is very temperature tolerant and will not expand/contract significantly. It is normally the joists which change with humidty -ie shrink when you move in
Too many cut boards can be a problem as the load (of walking) is not distributed over many joists, and so isolated boards move and not the floor as a whole.
Another problem is if the joists themselves are inadequately sized or spaced, then they will have too much bounce and so the floor boards will move even if screwed down. Another thing which causes joists to bounce is if they have not been braced with noggins. Cuts and notches for pipes and cables also affect joist rigidity
You need to establish the problem first
If the problem is with the boards, then you could either try replacing them (the smaller pieces) with whole boards, and securely knock them all together and screw every 150mm. Or remove the noisy ones and glue the T&G joint (fast setting glue) and then screw them back down.
But if the problem is with the joists, then its a bigger more involved job of adding new joists or fitting noggins or steel struts.
Landings are particulary troublesome as there can be many services passing trough the joists and also the trimming of the joists at the stairwell opening can cause excess bounce
Too many cut boards can be a problem as the load (of walking) is not distributed over many joists, and so isolated boards move and not the floor as a whole.
Another problem is if the joists themselves are inadequately sized or spaced, then they will have too much bounce and so the floor boards will move even if screwed down. Another thing which causes joists to bounce is if they have not been braced with noggins. Cuts and notches for pipes and cables also affect joist rigidity
You need to establish the problem first
If the problem is with the boards, then you could either try replacing them (the smaller pieces) with whole boards, and securely knock them all together and screw every 150mm. Or remove the noisy ones and glue the T&G joint (fast setting glue) and then screw them back down.
But if the problem is with the joists, then its a bigger more involved job of adding new joists or fitting noggins or steel struts.
Landings are particulary troublesome as there can be many services passing trough the joists and also the trimming of the joists at the stairwell opening can cause excess bounce
Well, the builder who built the extension 6 months ago, sent his lads round again and pulled up the new carpet again to lay a large sheet of ply. He wanted to see if the displacement of weight made any difference - no such luck. There was no improvement at all and the lads said the floor WILL have to come up in order to add extra noggins. They said they could also add a layer of felt to cushion the effect of the boards on the joists. It now remains to be seen whether our builder is prepared to go to such lengths out of his own pocket! I will keep you posted!
when i build two story extensions i always use t&g pine boards even if the other rubbish is specified.
not a single peep.
just a good solid footfall every step.
sorry to be so smug, but chipboard is one flooring solution that i just do not agree with.
not a single peep.
just a good solid footfall every step.
sorry to be so smug, but chipboard is one flooring solution that i just do not agree with.
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