Creaky floor

Ebe_Scrooge

oligopoly wrote: »

Is there a danger I could stretch and damage the carpet myself though?!

Highly unlikely. Carpets are stretched when they're laid ( which is one of the reasons that carpet fitting is one of the few jobs I always leave to the professionals ! ). You'll not be lifting the whole carpet, only enough to get to the problem floorboard.

oligopoly

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Highly unlikely. Carpets are stretched when they're laid ( which is one of the reasons that carpet fitting is one of the few jobs I always leave to the professionals ! ). You'll not be lifting the whole carpet, only enough to get to the problem floorboard.

If you knew me then you might not be so sure :rotfl: I'll have a look later.

Oxid8uk

I moved into a new build a year ago. Landing was fine until a couple of months later when it started to creak. I lifted the carpet and put a load of screws into the floor boards but it made no difference. The house builder sent round someone to take a look and he identified the problem being the screws in the joist hangers working loose resulting in the joists rubbing against each other. He tightened them all up and it solved the problem.

8 months on from him doing that it has started creaking again and is getting worse so can only assume that the screws have worked loose again. So it looks like I'll have to tightened them up every 6 months. Luckily I have a carpet that doesn't need stretching so the carpet fits back as though it hasn't been lifted.

oligopoly

Think I've read you're supposed to 'glue and screw'?

TRB

Oxid8uk wrote: »

I moved into a new build a year ago. Landing was fine until a couple of months later when it started to creak. I lifted the carpet and put a load of screws into the floor boards but it made no difference. The house builder sent round someone to take a look and he identified the problem being the screws in the joist hangers working loose resulting in the joists rubbing against each other. He tightened them all up and it solved the problem.

8 months on from him doing that it has started creaking again and is getting worse so can only assume that the screws have worked loose again. So it looks like I'll have to tightened them up every 6 months. Luckily I have a carpet that doesn't need stretching so the carpet fits back as though it hasn't been lifted.

You should not use screws in joist hangers it should be twisted joist hanger nails.

Oxid8uk

TRB wrote: »

You should not use screws in joist hangers it should be twisted joist hanger nails.

I can't remember the exact terminology the guy used, whether screws or nails (although I do remember a lot of hammering), just that it was the hangers that were the issue, not the floorboards.

I am assuming that joist hanger nails can work themselves loose?

Ebe_Scrooge

oligopoly wrote: »

Think I've read you're supposed to 'glue and screw'?

No, not in floorboards. Yes, when you're building flat-pack furniture ( I always add glue, even when the instructions don't mention it - a good film of Resin-W along the joints works wonders ). But for floorboards, No. It's not necessary, and it'll be a right pain if you, or a future owner, need to lift the floor for maintenance. Just screw in, using proper floorboard screws, job done.

With the greatest respect, you do seem to be making a heck of a big job out of a simple - and very common - problem ?

oligopoly

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

With the greatest respect, you do seem to be making a heck of a big job out of a simple - and very common - problem ?

How so? I've asked for advice on why a creaking floor may have got worse over a period of only a few months, concerned it may point to a bigger problem. I've got my advice, now to implement it.

TheCyclingProgrammer

oligopoly wrote: »

But the creakiness has increased since September. How is this possible?

Thermal changes from season to season can cause wooden floorboards to expand and contract.

When we had new carpets laid I thought I'd screwed down all of the floorboards that creaked but come winter more were creaking. As the carpet is nicely fitted I don't want to lift it and the underlay in order to screw down the boards (which is the only real solution) so I've learned to live with it for now.