"We need help with our squeaking floors. Our house is about 29 years old and has carpeting over all of the floors except the kitchen, foyer and some bathroom areas. The first and second floors have areas that squeak and there seem to be more squeaks every day. What can I do about this problem?" — Mary Jane Pfuetze, Overland Park, Kan.

Call a flooring contractor, says Tom Rossi, owner of highly rated Expert Flooring Solutions in Las Vegas.

"The squeaking she hears are sections of subfloor rubbing against each other, or the floor joists, where nails have come loose," he says, adding that squeaks, creaks or groans occur over time because the wooden subfloor naturally swells, warps and dries with humidity.



According to Bill Bazydlo, owner of highly rated A Frame Home Repair in Fayetteville, Ga., there are long 4-inch screws available on the market for the purpose of fixing squeaky floors. These can be screwed right through the carpet to secure the subfloor to the joists without having to pull the carpet up.

"That will usually eliminate the squeak," Bazydlo says. "But it can be a bit of a process. If anyone says they can stop the squeaks guaranteed, it's baloney."



If the carpet covers a lot of the house and needs to be pulled up, Ryan Rigdon, owner of highly rated Rigdon Floor Coverings in Kansas City, Kan., recommends waiting on the repairs until you're ready to install new carpet. "Our company standard is to eliminate as many squeaks as possible when we do installation," he says.

For noisy hardwood floors, the process is similar, says Steve White, owner of highly rated Elegant Floor Services in Silver Spring, Md. "The more intrusive method is taking up the floorboards, locating the joists, and screwing in the floorboards more tightly," White says.

A less intrusive method is to drive screws directly through the floorboards lower than the walking surface, then cover the holes with wood filler. Since both methods disturb the floor's appearance, White recommends having floors refinished after the repair to produce the most attractive results.



Squeaking stairs are a different scenario, according to Butch Meyer, owner of highly rated Atlanta Maintenance Management Services in Snellville, Ga. In that event, you have to get to the backside of the stairs, using a wood shim to fill the gaps between the stair tread and riser.

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