Wilmac Flooring

How To Stop Your Annoying Creaky Floors

Creaky floors can be really annoying, as the sound can often drive you mad. A creaky floor is often a sign of hardwood floors, where the wooden planks rub up against each other. This is a mechanical problem indicated by the fact that the wood does not have enough space to move properly.

Most wood will change in size and shape. This is an indicator of natural wood and is a result of the humidity level changes in the atmosphere. The wooden planks will probably be a slightly different size in the winter to what they are in the summer, which is completely natural. However, the wooden planks need enough space to expand. A professional flooring fitter would know this and would make appropriate solutions to ensure that the wooden planks are able to expand. If they do not have enough space to expand, the planks will be fighting for space and this will result in the creaking sound which you can hear as you are tiptoeing across the landing in the middle of the night.

One trick is to put powdered graphite into the areas between the planks which will help to lubricate the contact areas. Make sure that you apply this generously using a towel, and keep working the sound of the creek until it becomes silent. You may need a few applications of the powdered graphite in order for this to work effectively.

Another thing that you might want to do is check everything as the wooden floors are being installed in the first place. Make sure that the flooring fitters are using a quality underlayment material, which can often stop creaking.

If the floor does not have an underlay, you may need to screw a nail into the squeaky areas so that the squeaks are not so loud. However, if you are nailing screws into the wooden planks, make sure that you leave about a quarter of an inch between the wall and the first plank in each row of the flooring. This extra space that you leave means that the wood can expand naturally without any obstruction.

If you are really unsure about your squeaky floors, you should contact a professional flooring specialist. They will be able to help you with effective solutions or they may completely reinstall your wooden floors if the current ones are simply too old or tired. To find a local flooring specialist in your area you can go online and use a search engine such as Google and type in your area and a flooring keyword. For example if you live in wirral you could type in “wirral flooring company” or “flooring wirral“.

The great thing about wooden floors is that they will last for many years to come, so that you know you are making a great investment in the house when you invest in the wooden floors. Wooden floors can also add value to your home, so this might also be a good idea if you’re thinking about selling the property in the future.