What Causes Squeaky Floors Under Carpets and What to Do About it

What to Do About Squeaky Floors Under Carpets: Causes and Solutions

Choosing carpets isn’t just about comfort and aesthetics; installation is a crucial component of the process. Skimping on the foundation can lead to immediate and long-term issues, one of the most common and annoying being squeaky floors.

A squeak is the sound of two materials rubbing together, typically wood on wood or a metal fastener rubbing against wood. Understanding the causes is the first step toward a quiet, stable floor.

1. The Primary Culprit: Subfloor Movement

The subfloor is the layer underneath your carpet and padding, typically made of plywood, OSB, or particle board, which rests on the floor joists. This is where most squeaks originate.

• Loose Fasteners: Builders often use nails to secure the subfloor to the joists because it's fast and cheap. Over time, due to humidity changes and foot traffic, the wood subfloor and joists can shift slightly, gradually working the nails loose. The squeak is the sound of the nail scraping against the enlarged hole in the subfloor.
• Improper Installation: In fast-paced construction, mistakes are common. If an installer misses the joist when firing a nail, or if a bead of adhesive is allowed to partially dry before the subfloor is laid on it, the bond will be weak. This allows the subfloor to lift and rub against the joist every time you step on it.
• The Best Prevention: When building a new home or replacing a subfloor, the surest way to prevent future squeaks is to use screws instead of nails. Screws have a stronger grip and are far less likely to pull loose from the joist over time.

2. Moisture and Environmental Shifts

Squeaks aren't always a sign of poor installation; sometimes, they are caused by the nature of wood itself.

• Shrinking and Expansion: Wood is sensitive to its environment. When humidity levels drop (especially during winter heating), wooden subfloors and joists dry out and shrink slightly. This shrinkage can create tiny gaps between the materials that didn't exist before, causing the rubbing and resulting squeak when weight is applied.
• Acclimation is Key: While you can’t prevent this entirely, quality builders and installers will ensure wood materials are properly acclimated to the home’s typical temperature and humidity levels before permanent installation.

3. Padding is Not the Cause, But it Can Be the Savior

While the carpet pad itself does not cause squeaking, selecting the right padding is essential to protecting your overall floor structure and the carpet's lifespan.

• A good, dense pad provides extra cushion, helps extend the carpet’s life, and prevents wrinkles.
• Crucially, the right pad ensures the carpet lies flat and stable, which helps to maintain the integrity of the layers beneath it.

How to Fix Squeaky Floors Under Existing Carpet

The bad news is that the permanent fix for a squeaky subfloor often requires direct access, meaning the carpet and pad must be pulled up.

The Good News: If you are already replacing your carpet, this is the perfect time to silence your floors for good.

Before any new carpet is laid down, a reputable installer will take the following steps:

1. Inspection: The installer will walk the entire floor, identifying and marking all existing squeaks.
2. Securing the Subfloor: They will use wood screws to firmly secure the subfloor directly into the joists, effectively pulling the subfloor down tight and eliminating the gap that causes the squeak. They may also apply specialty construction adhesive to further bond the materials.

Invest in Professional Expertise

Because squeaks are fundamentally a subfloor and installation issue, your choice of installer is paramount. The difference between a rushed job and a quality installation is years of quiet, stable flooring.

When you buy carpet from Sloane’s, we connect you with our vetted network of installers. We require that our partners have extensive experience installing high-end residential carpets. This means that when they arrive, they are equipped not only to lay the carpet beautifully but also to assess and address underlying issues, like your squeaky floors, before the new carpet goes down.

Invest in a quality installation and enjoy a new carpet that is as quiet as it is comfortable.

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