Wood floors are a great choice for many rooms in the home, but because of the natural materials, they can begin to show signs of wear and tear.
Whilst these signs may not always be visible to the naked eye, you can sometimes hear them - with the dreaded creaky floorboards.
Wood flooring is often laid over strut-like "joists" - and creaks occur when the floorboards come loose.
The quickest, best way to solve the creaking is to try to re-affix the boards. You can find joists under the boards by tapping them - because the joists are directly fitted under the board, the tapping sound will be quite solid, without a hollow echo.
A simple way to silence the squeak is to flatten down the boards with something weighty - but obviously this isn't a permanent fix.
The best tool to use is a hammer, as always, to bash in some specialised flooring nails (spiral ones are best). Make sure to hammer it in at an angle to keep the joist secure. Flatten down the nail heads or cover them over with putty, then walk away - without an annoying creak.
The latest flooring news, courtesy of Floors Online.
Date : 01/07/2011
Category: Flooring Industry News