Squeaky floors are annoying, and we cannot be in denial of it. However, when the laminate floor starts squeaking, an important question arises. Is the squeakiness coming from the laminate or the subfloor?
Truth be told, it can be either of those reasons. Although the good news is that there are many ways to eliminate the squeakiness. You don’t always have to remove the flooring to get rid of the issue entirely.
However, when we’re talking about an issue with the subfloor- the scenario will be different. You’ll have to do a complete inspection of the subflooring or call a professional.
If you’re interested in fixing it all by yourself, we’ll be discussing everything about squeaky laminate floors in this article.
Contents
Reasons for Squeaky Laminate Floors
Floor squeaking is not an uncommon problem. Whenever there is a squeaking, though, there might be various reasons for it.
You should know, nails are attached whenever a carpet installer installs your flooring over the subfloor. (Although, we always support the usage of screws) The pins can easily come off. That will loosen your laminate flooring from the joists.
We recommend you to check if there is any particular flooring board that is squeaking. If so, check around the corners for loose nails. You can fix it quickly by yourself.
However, if you can’t identify any loose nails, there might be a problem with the subfloor leveling.
Subfloors need a proper concrete coat before the laminate flooring is placed. If not a concentrate coating, there must be under padding of some sort to help prevent extra moisture storage.
One massive issue with laminate flooring is that you won’t be able to hammer in a few more nails and get it fixed, as it’ll take some more work.
How to Fix Squeaky Laminate Floors
Fixing a subfloor is easy when you have complete access to it. Hence, you must get underneath the laminate flooring and get a good view of the joists. When you access the joist, you’ll have a few options to fondle around with.
If you think the levelling is a problem, you can easily use a little concrete adhesive glue to fix the uneven portions. Although, you’ll need to have levelling equipment alongside you for this method.
Again, you can use kits available in the market. The kits specialize in screwing down underneath the floor and creating a hook around the joist. For this method, sometimes, you might not have to remove the floor covering. It depends solely on the type of kit you’re using.
However, we must warn you about the disgraceful screw-driving method, which will almost all of the time mess your entire flooring as well as the floor covering.
How to Quickly Fix Squeaky Floors
To lubricate the joints, you can spray talc onto the floor and operate in between the floorboards using a paintbrush. After the procedure, you must scrub the base properly to avoid injuries.
Another thing to do is to adjust the location of a heavy cabinet to reduce tension. When the baseboard is assembled too tightly, pinch points can occur. You will alleviate pressure by gently lifting the side straps.
What to Do In Case Of a Dodgy Installation
One of the worst forms of rookie mistakes is a dodgy installation. Installing a laminate flooring with a subfloor that has not been appropriately levelled or not curing the laminate base well before placing it can cause an absurd amount of noise later ahead.
Swelling is one of the most common things that happen with floorings. It’s the humidity, the adverse weather changes, and the amount of pressure applied over it.
It’s extremely important to think it through before you place a flooring because none of them will have a lifespan consisting of generations. However, when you choose a laminate floor for yourself, you can expect the noise to be much lesser than usual.
We recommend that you keep at least a 7mm to 10 mm gap within the flooring when you’re placing it to avoid the problem of the flooring swelling and rubbing against one another.
Sometimes, the swelling can even make the flooring rub against your walls. Eventually, due to the swelling, when you put your foot’s pressure on top of it – it will create noise. The noise happens due to the air pocket being suppressed with the pressure of your weight.
Make sure to give your room a good acclimation period of two days before beginning the entire process. If the acclimation time is not provided, the laminate floors will undoubtedly swell over time and retain moisture. Not only will your floors squeak, but they’ll also smell.
What to Do If Your Swollen Flooring Creaks
If you notice your floors have already swollen, you’ll most certainly need to give it some room to breathe. Most of the time, you’ll have to remove the entire flooring in scenarios where the laminate has swollen itself.
You might not have to discard the laminate boards. However, repositioning is a must to solve the issue.
It’s highly recommended that you get a professional to do this for you. If you’re confident, you can proceed onto the step using a multi tool to sand some flooring out to create a breathing space.
What to Do If Your Laminate Floor Is Leaking
When your laminate floor starts leaking, it’s an indication of the fact that your room is extremely humid. When this happens, we recommend using a dehumidifier as soon as you can. A dehumidifier will help dry out the room, and the floors will eventually shrink. If the shrinking does not occur naturally, you might want to get it checked by a professional.
What’s Next: Does Laminate Flooring Need to Acclimate
Conclusion
If the subfloor is uneven, squeaking is the most audible. If a floor still squeaks where one foot lands, the subflooring could be causing the noise. A squeak on a newly installed floor is normally the result of a poor installation. Thus, we recommend installing the laminate flooring with the utmost precision to avoid squeaking in the future.
If the squeaking is prominently occurring, you can fix it by the procedures mentioned above. You can even get a professional to help you out with the matter. Thus, we hope now you know everything about flooring and squeaky noises!