Tip of the Week #006
April 27, 2012
by Ron Call, your Urbanfloor guy
Does your floor squeak when you walk on it? Older nail down type installations are notorious for squeaking. But floating floors and glued down installations can make noise as well. Seasonal changes will make your floor expand and contract and certain times of year the squeaking may be worse. Squeaks are caused by loose boards rubbing against one another or a nail or staple used to install your floor to the sub-floor may be rubbing against a joist as you walk. If your squeaking is throughout your home you may want to contact your floor covering professional as face nailing or crawling under the floor in your crawl space may be required.
But if the noise is localized to just a couple areas and you can see the culprit boards rubbing against one another as you walk, try using a little baby powder. That’s right, just a little sprinkle between the noisy boards may be all you need to eliminate the squeak. What happens is the powder works its way down between the boards and acts like a lubricant thereby eliminating the squeak. Only use a very small amount, just sprinkle the effected area and try and work the boards up and down. This will allow the powder to work it’s way down between the planks. Clean up any excess powder immediately with a vacuum and a damp cloth moistened with just enough water to remove any powder residue but not enough to allow moisture to get between the boards (Damp. Water should not drip from cloth). Then dry with a clean cloth. Baby powder on your floor is very slippery and any left on your floor may cause you to lose your footing and fall. If this does not work contact your floor covering professional.