You shouldn’t ignore your squeaky floor!
When your floor squeaks, it can be annoying. You shouldn’t ignore it, though, because your floors may be trying to tell you something. Listen closely. Do you hear it?
That’s Not Supposed to Move
Sometimes, parts of your flooring that aren’t supposed to move will move. Whether it’s a loose nail, or a loose board, if something isn’t supposed to move and it does, this can cause squeaking.
I Don’t Like this New Weather
Whether it’s the dead heat of summer or the frigid cold in winter, extreme temperatures can cause wood floors to be noisy. In the cold of winter, the wood will contract and be smaller because of the low humidity. On the other side of that is in the summer heat and humidity, the wood will expand. To prevent winter shrinkage and squeaking due to lack of humidity, consider investing in a humidifier that will keep your home’s relative humidity between 35% and 55% and keep your floor happy (and quiet).
Boards are Rubbing Together
Sometimes, where two boards meet they can shift just the right way and cause squeaking. This type of squeaking is usually pretty easy to spot because it is localized to a specific area and you can spot the movement. Some homeowners have had success keeping the noise down by sprinkling baby powder on the affected area.
There’s a Problem in the Subfloor
If you find the squeaking is happening in whole sections of flooring and not just localized to specific spots, your problem might be in the subfloor. You’d be walking from one section of squeaky floor to another.
Attention Please
Squeaking is a perfectly normal part of living with hardwood flooring. If you notice that your floor is squeaking, listen to it to try and figure out the reason. The first step is checking the relative humidity inside of your home. If the squeaking keeps going for more than one season, Try and find out what type of movement is happening. Depending on what’s going on, there are some pretty easy fixes. If you need another set of eyes (and ears!) to help you figure out what’s going on with your floor, contact Jason Brown Wood Floors today!
Time for a Fix!
Depending on what the issue is, there are a variety of fixes out there. If your floor is creaking there’s probably a reason and you should listen to it and fix whatever needs fixing before you run out of time and it becomes a worse problem.
Hardwood flooring from Jason Brown Wood Floors
At Jason Brown Wood Floors, our commitment to quality installation is clear in all that we do, which is why our customers consistently rate us as one of the top contractors in the region. We have been awarded Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore Award 4 times and have been proudly serving the Baltimore Area for over 16 years. If you’re ready to speak with someone about your hardwood flooring project, we want to hear from you! Contact us at 410-668-9131 or send us a message here.