Squeaky floorboards

I would want a visual inspection to determine if any pipes or cables under the boards. In my experience the floor boards have been taken up in the past for central heating installations. If joists are uneven you can get rocking so packers can be used.

Before fixing the boards, it’s important to locate pipes and cables. The safest way is to lift one or two boards where possible or use a pipe/cable detector. For typical t&g floorboards, I’d recommend using 4.0–4.5mm flooring screws, no longer than 50–60mm, and always screw into the joists, not between them. Screws should be positioned slightly off-centre of the joist to reduce the risk of hitting pipes, which are usually run through the centre. To reduce squeaks, a flexible construction adhesive or floorboard adhesive can be applied to the joists before refixing. This allows movement without noise and is better than rigid glues. A site inspection is always best to confirm pipe routes and joist condition.

Avoid the Middle: Pipes usually run along the center of joist spans or under the middle of boards. Screw towards the edges (sides) of the boards, where the joists are.

I would always lift a board first to check what services are located beneath. Then once you are confident re fix . I would use a 40/50mm screw ( not nails as this is a possible cause of creaking) Also a d4 glue as this expands .

I would recommend lifting the floorboards first and see if is any pipework or cable first, then you can use expanding foam or just nailing down again where the squeaky area is👍

These boards are probably creaking because they're not screwed to the rafters. The plastic pipes should be under the rafters or attached to them, so they shouldn't get in the way, and you shouldn't damage them. It's best to remove one or two boards and check what's underneath. You should use board screws; they're usually gold-colored.

Hey there. As an experiencened carpenter, I would check your levels of joists and pipework and cables underneath, also check for debris , joist hangers that could be slightly raised the flooring substrate from the joists etc It's not a case of just screwing down, I would be tempted to lift and replace as existing boards may struggle to get out. Prior to laying I would use pu glue to adhere to joists and mechanically fix boarding , ie, 18mm chipboard use 60mm fixing with a 5.0 head as a minimum. There's a few factors to check when completed successfully there will be no creaking, making it a R whites moment going to the fridge at night! I have happy clients that I have successfully completed Thia task for. Regards Garry

Most squeaky T&G boards are moving against the joists, so screwing them down is usually the proper fix rather than trying to glue the boards together. When it comes to avoiding plastic pipes, the truth is that there is no completely safe method for blindly screwing down from above. A pipe and cable detector can help, but I would not rely on that alone. The safest approach is to inspect from below if possible, or lift one board first and mark the joists and any pipe runs before fixing the rest. Pay extra attention near radiator pipes, bathrooms and any areas where plumbing may have been altered. For typical floorboards, floorboard screws or countersunk wood screws are usually the right choice, commonly around 4.0x50mm or 4.5x50mm depending on board thickness. The important thing is to fix it into the joist centres only, not randomly through the boards. I would not normally recommend glue between the boards themselves. It makes future access much harder and often does not deal with the real cause of the noise. If the boards are lifted, a bead of adhesive on top of the joists before screwing the boards back down can help, but the screws are doing most of the work. If the squeak is only from light rubbing in the tongue and groove, a dry lubricant such as talc can sometimes help a little, but that is usually only a temporary improvement. Also worth bearing in mind that any squeaks around the stairs may be coming from movement in the treads, risers or wedges, not just the landing boards.

Before fixing the floor boards check to see if there’s any pipes or cables where you want to screw. 50-60mm screws and pack and glue with floor adhesive to stop squeaks

I would wither get a camera probe, drill a small hole carefully and inspect or just take up a few boards and mark where you can safely put screws; in the process, I would map any under floor pipes/ wires on the board themselves when I relay them. 40 to 50 mm screws are good. Screws are preferred over nails, they are easier to get out if access is needed and they are less likely to move over time which creates movement of boards and squeaking.

I would lift up the boards and screw them down one by one using 5-50mm screws and glue them on the joist and in between the grooves .marking where any pipe or cable might be.