The wooden floor has been used by mankind since ancient times. Despite the abundance of modern building materials, many choose wooden flooring. First of all, such a material is environmentally friendly, has good thermal insulation. The tree has always been considered an indicator of good taste and affluence. Such floors always look attractive. But nothing lasts forever, over time, such a coating requires repair.
And this is not about scratches and scuffs that can be eliminated by applying varnish. A much more serious problem is the creaking of the floor in the apartment. How to fix it? Consider the article.
Why is this happening?
A variety of types of floors can make a creak:
- Wooden.
- Parquet coverings.
- Particleboard floors.
- Laminate.
- Engineering boards.
If the floor in the apartment creaks (how to fix the problem, we will tell later), there are several reasons:
- Violation of training technology. In this situation, you need to understand that any lumber is dried. If the material was not sufficiently dried before laying, after a while moisture will evaporate from the finished flooring. As the material loses moisture, cracks and crevices appear. Boards may warp. As a result, touching each other, they make a creak.
- Violation of the technology of laying lags. The floor may creak if too much distance has been made between the lags. In this case, the floorboards have a large load. This leads to excessive deflection and to friction. As a result, you can hear a characteristic sound when walking. If the floor in the apartment creaks, how to fix the problem? Let's consider further.
- Using too thin boards. Experts do not recommend using boards up to 4 centimeters thick as flooring. Otherwise, the material will not cope with the load and will bend, making a creak (even if the lags were laid according to the rules).
- Depreciation of a varnish coat. It performs a protective function. Over time, the varnish layer dries. This leads to the destruction of the adhesive layer. As a result, the strength of the connection of the individual elements decreases.
- Lack of compensation clearance. It must be provided for when installing floors from chipboard, parquet and other tile floor coverings. The gap is made not only along the walls, but also between adjacent elements. In the absence of a compensation gap, a characteristic creak appears. In addition, the coating begins to deform.
- Poor fixation of fasteners. This applies to screws, nails and screws. Due to the drying of the material, these elements can no longer properly fix wooden boards. The result is a creak. This is especially true for chipboard floors.
- High humidity. The tree has the ability not only to give, but also to absorb moisture. At a high concentration in air, the material begins to swell. Sometimes even compensation clearances do not save. As a result, the boards rub against each other.
How to eliminate unpleasant sounds?
If the floors in the apartment creak strongly , what should I do? The following methods will help fix the problem:
- Filling of polyurethane foam.
- Knocking down wedges.
- The use of metal anchors.
- Tug of screws.
- Installation of plywood.
- Floor screed.
If the floor creaks in the apartment, how to eliminate the sounds? Next, we consider each method in more detail.
Foam application
If the floors in the apartment creak, what should I do? A popular solution to the problem is filling with mounting foam. The material has the property of expanding upon drying. Accordingly, when expanding, the foam gives that missing rigidity to the floor and helps eliminate creaking when walking. The method is quite simple: under pressure from a spray can, it is "blown" into the cracks.
Wedging
If the floors in the apartment creak, what to do in this case? There is another equally effective way. Apply wood wedges. They are nailed from below between boards and beams, which are loosely fixed. This can prevent friction.
During the work you will need a hammer, a damper and the wedges themselves. The instructions are simple and straightforward. It is necessary to hammer a wedge into the gap between the boards with a hammer. It is advisable to have access to the bottom of the floor. You can score several wedges at once. In this case, the interval between them is 20 centimeters. As a finish plate, many use a sawn-off metal rod. In the course of work, it is important to ensure that the wedges do not rise above the base of the floor.
We mount metal anchors
In this case, there are certain restrictions. Such anchors should only be installed when the base of the floor is a concrete slab. Fasteners are carried out manually. The operation itself is performed in several stages:
- Using a punch or a powerful drill, a through hole is made. It is necessary to drill not only a board, but also logs.
- A metal shell is installed.
- The anchor pin is screwed in.
- Next, proceed with the installation of the next anchor. The distance between the fasteners should be approximately one meter.
Judging by the reviews, this method is quite effective. But flaws are also present. First of all, the high price. So that the floor does not creak in the apartment, you need to use about two hundred anchors. The price of each is about 20 rubles. But after installation, deflections of the boards will be completely eliminated.
Plywood installation
This option is suitable if the base of the floor is perfectly flat, but creaks anyway. In this situation, a plywood sheet is laid on the coating. As an alternative, chipboard can be used. The thickness of the sheets is at least 12 millimeters. Sheets are laid on top of boards and fixed with screws in increments of 20 centimeters. If the work is done correctly, then in the next 5-10 years you will not think about how to fix the creaking floor in the apartment.
Hauling with screws
If the floors in the apartment "Khrushchev" creak, what to do in this case? How to fix the problem? You can choose a method that does not require disassembly of the coating. But this option is relevant only if the sound occurs when the friction of the boards and lags of the floor. The hardest part is finding the creaking lag. After searching for the cause, you need to screw a few screws into the beam. They are screwed directly through the board. This method will get rid of the annoying sound.
Alternative methods
Other methods are also used, no less effective:
- Wedging boards from the bottom. How is this work done? To prevent the boards from moving, you need to carefully drive a wedge between the beams and a poorly fixed board with a hammer. Boards themselves must not be raised. Otherwise, they may be higher than the rest of the floor.
- Wedging from above. So that the boards do not rub against each other, wedges must be hammered in the gap between them. It will take a piece of a metal bar (or a rammer) and a hammer. The distance between the wedges should be 15 centimeters. Their number may be different. You need to score them as much as you need to eliminate the creak.
- Fixing boards from above. What is the essence of this work? Several holes are drilled. You need to drill all creaking boards over the beam. After this, the boards need to be fixed with screws. The length of the latter should be 37 millimeters. The holes themselves are drilled at an angle to each other. Why is this done? Performing a small angle, we will provide a denser fastening of the board to the beam. At the same time, the hats of the screws must be putty. After the putty has dried, the work does not end. Now the hats should be sanded with sandpaper.
Beam reinforcement
Sometimes it is necessary to resort to more radical measures. One such option is beam reinforcement. Experts say that the most reliable option is the installation of struts. After that, you can forget about the creaking of boards for a long time. The work is carried out in several stages:
- A line is cut off with chalk across the beams in the central part of the span.
- The bars are cut so that they enter the gap between the beams. As for the thickness of the bars, it should correspond to the thickness of the beams. But the height should be 2.5 centimeters less than the last. This is done so that in the future it will be possible to lay any communications under the floor.
- You need to move across the room. The bars are mounted on both sides of the broken line, alternately. Each bar is attached from the end with two nails. The length of the latter should be 10 centimeters. Those bars that will abut against the wall, need to be fixed only on one side.
If it's an old cover
What if the floor creaks in the old apartment? There are situations when the material has already suffered from time, it has cracks and traces of insect damage. Typically, such a floor is covered with carpet or tile. In this case, the appearance does not matter. But the creak will still persist, no matter how high-quality the floor.
The simplest method is to replace non-grooved boards. Things are slightly different with tongue-and-groove boards that lie directly on the beams. Before you remove the elements affected by mold, you need to remove the comb on one of them. After that, a saw is used. It is important that the end of the web is rounded. You can also use an electric jigsaw (but the file should be thick). In the event that communications pass under such a floor, it is necessary to completely disconnect the wiring. Next, you can carefully saw the boards. It is important to stop if resistance occurs. This is especially true for jigsaws. Otherwise, the tool may fail.
Raising damaged boards
It was previously noted that to eliminate squeaking, you can replace "tired" floorboards. To raise the board, you must install a wide chisel in the transverse cut between the floorboards. Then you need to raise the first board. In this case, press the chisel in the direction away from you. If necessary, you can squeeze the chisel with your foot if there is not enough hand effort. As soon as the floorboard rises, you need to move the chisel to another beam. When parts of the boards between the beams are removed, the remaining parts should be removed, right down to the center. In this case, a chisel is used.
Consider how to install new boards. To do this, you must first note the size of the future floorboard. Next, a piece of the board is cut off and installed in place of the removed one. In this case, the groove is combined with the comb. In order to reliably put the floorboard in place, it is recommended to use part of the unnecessary grooved floorboard. You need to hit her with a mallet. The board is nailed so that the heads of the nails are not visible. The use of self-tapping screws is also allowed. But their hats will also need to be drowned inland.
Scrolling floor
If the parquet floor creaks in the apartment, how to fix the problem? To do this, you first need to determine how far the boards are from the concrete slab. To do this, you need to drill a hole (you can small size) and stick a wire inside. In the place where it rests on the floor, we begin the countdown. It is this distance that should be between the screws. They should fit well into the canvas, and their hats should not stick out.
Next, you need to find places where the lags lie. This can be detected by the nails in the floor, which go in rows along them. If the nails are not visible visually, you need to dismantle the baseboard. We form a gap along the wall. There is an indent of 1 centimeter.
Then a hole is drilled. Its diameter should be one to two millimeters smaller than the diameter of the self-tapping screw, which will be used later. Screws are screwed with a screwdriver, the cap is slightly recessed. This operation must be repeated with each board, screwing it to the lags.
How to repair the floors in the apartment so that they do not creak? There is one more option. To do this, screw the screws with a length equal to the distance to the concrete. First, blunt their tip. This is necessary so that the fasteners do not destroy the concrete base over time. In this case, the screws will serve as an additional support. When walking, the screws will not allow the boards to bend. In this case, the creak will disappear. This method is also relevant if the lag cracked under the floor.
Conclusion
So, we found out what should be done if the wooden floors in the apartment creak. There are several solutions to this problem. Everyone chooses the most suitable option.
But in order not to encounter such troubles, you need to know in advance why the floor in the apartment creaks. This is mainly due to improper installation technology. Always follow the instructions. As for eliminating squeaks, it is not always possible to remove them without dismantling the boards. Sometimes you have to repair damaged logs.
By the way, to eliminate the creak of the parquet floor, you can use a cement or plaster composition. A 0.8 centimeter hole is made in the creaking parquet and the solution is poured there through a syringe. After complete solidification, the holes are sealed with putty on wood. It is better not to walk on the floor during freezing.