What causes creaky floors in your Nashville home? We’ve all heard the sound of a creaking, squeaky floor even if not in our own home. Perhaps, it was at an Easter gathering at Grandma’s house or in the Historic District’s latest renovated restaurant. But what if you hear this same type of creaking noise in the floors of a fairly new home? Why do floors squeak when you walk on them? Are squeaky floors reason to worry? What could cause floors to give, bounce, or creak? Most of the time the answer lies within the crawl space of your home. Just like Spring cleaning and necessary house maintenance your crawl space needs attention, too. Here we will outline a few of the causes of creaking floors, how to correct floors that squeak, and what to consider if you are also experiencing uneven, bouncy floors.
There are many reasons hardwood flooring squeaks, and sometimes a hardwood flooring professional or carpenter can provide a quick fix for your squeaky problem if:
- Incorrect nails were used.
- Nails were inadequately fitted.
- Swelling and shrinking of wood flooring occurs due to weather changes.
- Space exists between the flooring and the subfloor.
- A floorboard is loose or detached.
The movement in loose floorboards, due to shrinking and swelling, incorrect nails, and spacing beneath the flooring, can cause boards to rub together or rub a neighboring floor joist or nail. This is one of the many examples of why you may hear the noise referred to as creaking or squeaking.
Beyond any quick fix for creaks and pops in hardwood floors, there are also other reasonable solutions that a local contractor may provide. If you have carpet and your floor squeaks when you walk on it, or if you have a basement instead of a crawl space, a professional carpenter could find:
- Your subfloor is uneven.
- A gap exists between the top of the floor joist and underside of the subfloor.
- Support joists underneath the floorboards appear to be compromised.
- The framing beneath the flooring has rotted.
These can begin as simple, affordable repairs, but the extent of repairs needed for a persistent squeak in the floor is often unknown until the contractor uncovers the structural bones of the house.
It is common that the first attempt and sometimes multiple attempts at flooring repairs do not correct the creaking in your floors. If the initial quick fix does not fix the problem, the problem could be bigger, like the settlement of the soil in the crawl space. But the opposite is also true: just because you experience creaks in your floor, it does not mean that you are experiencing settlement beneath your house. If a local carpenter cannot fix the creaking in the floors and the solutions above do not fix the squeaking problem, then it’s time to call a foundation repair contractor. Only once the source of the floor problem is discovered by a foundation repair company can a homeowner hope to resolve the squeaking problem if the resolution is possible.
If you have exhausted your efforts through a carpenter or general contractor and you still have creaks in the floor, then hiring a qualified foundation repair contractor puts you on the right path to finding the root cause of your noise problem. A reputable foundation repair contractor will look for the following signs in your crawl space to identify whether or not settlement is occurring:
- Sagging floor joists
- Leaning support posts
- Cracks in concrete block supports
- Compromised structure (from wood rot, invasive wood damaging pests)
- Disturbed soil, or new depressions in the crawl space
You may also notice other telltale signs in the interior of your home, aside from squeaky floors, that point to possible settlement and other issues going on in your crawl space:
- Uneven floors
- Drywall cracks or separation
- A new space between the baseboard and flooring
- Doors that stick, or doors that no longer open and close correctly
- Sinking, sloping floors
- A new hump in the floor
- Bouncy floors, soft floors, or floors that give
Because your crawl space could be host to more concerns than just settlement, additional causes of squeaky, creaking floors, or uneven, bouncy floors that a foundation repair contractor should look for include:
- Moisture in the crawl space
- Signs of mold, mildew, or other organic growth
- High humidity
If any or all of these signs are present, you will want to consider other repair solutions in addition to fixing the noise in your floors. If you do not address moisture issues in your crawl space, you will continue to experience similar recurring issues with your floors. A foundation repair contractor will have repair methods for controlling humidity, as well as drainage solutions, if your house needs additional services. A reputable foundation company will not sell you services you do not need. However, structural repairs may only become repetitive if you do not control the moisture and humidity in your crawl space before addressing the noise in your floors.
Some of the solutions a foundation repair contractor may offer for squeaky, uneven floors, depending on your crawl space needs are:
- Adjustable steel support posts
- Supplemental steel I-beams
- Steel shims
- Sister joists or damaged wood repair
- Encapsulation (for humidity issues)
- Dehumidifier (paired with encapsulation for humidity issues)
Solutions for a home with squeaky, uneven floors above a basement or garage may include the following options from a foundation repair contractor:
- Adjustable steel support posts
- Supplemental steel I-beams
- Sister joists or damaged wood repair
The good news is there’s a solution for the creaking, squeaking floor. And, if that solution involves the need for floor support, USS is the one to call. USS installs adjustable steel support posts that include a 5-year warranty for any future necessary adjustments should settlement reoccur. This means that if the ground beneath your home settles again within five years of installation, or if your home experiences settlement due to other issues, USS will adjust your supports at no charge, and you can walk with ease, knowing your floors are secure.
If you are wondering how to fix squeaky floors in your Nashville home, you can count on USS! Your squeaking floors are more than an annoyance and if you see other potential signs of settlement like uneven floors or drywall cracking, call USS today for more information on warrantied adjustable floor supports and on restoring the integrity to your floors and your home.