Stop annoying floor squeaks for good. Proven methods for hardwood floors, subfloor issues, and carpet covered squeaks.
Walk slowly across the floor to pinpoint exactly where the squeak is coming from. Have someone else watch from below if you have an unfinished basement — you can often see the subfloor flexing at the problem spot.
For hardwood floors sprinkle powdered graphite or talcum powder into the squeaky seam between boards. Work it in by covering with a cloth and stepping on it repeatedly. This lubricates the boards and often eliminates the squeak completely for free.
If you have access from a basement or crawl space drive short screws up through the subfloor into the squeaky floorboard — being very careful not to go through the finished floor surface. This pulls the board tight against the subfloor.
Drive finish nails at a 45 degree angle through the face of the hardwood board and into the subfloor below. Use a nail set to countersink the nail head. Fill the hole with wood filler tinted to match your floor color.
If the squeak is under carpet a Squeak-Ender kit lets you drive a special screw through the carpet and subfloor from above without removing the carpet. The screw head snaps off flush leaving no visible mark.
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