Finally found a video that pretty much exactly matches our setup - great idea with the noggins, I'm tackling our bedroom this weekend and have everything I need apart from the timber and track - Thanks John!
I'm pleased you found it useful. To be honest the squeaks haven't all gone! I think the joints have shrunk over time and it's these that squeak where they go under a wall. Best of luck, it's a bit of a pain to do!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Thanks! I was originally going to try and lift the boards up after I cut one out but it seems that's an impossible task with them being under the skirting. I was actually recommended some D4 tongue and groove glue and was told that makes the world of difference - fingers crossed!
@@reecevaughan4225 Yes the foaming glues might work but I suspect that you need the glue between the floor and the joists, which means taking up the flooring. A little trial and error is needed I think!
What a wonderful video and great advice. Thank you. It is a task I dearly need to perform soon because the creaks and squeaks in our 1985 home are driving me insane. Looks simple enough to do.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Looks can be deceptive, the job is time consuming and a squeak free result not guaranteed! There is not much one can do about joists that have shrunk and move and where board run under a stud wall.
Noggins are definitely the answer. Not only do they provide additional support to the boards, but they also help stop the joists twisting. I wish new house builders would install noggins throughout.
Hi thanks for the video!! I had a similar issue in the house in a couple of places. A bit of advice to everyone, what I found out was by juts hammering the existing nails down cured the problem without having to lift the boards in my case I just put a floor Tite screw close to where the nail was and that has cured the very noise and loose feel to the floor. Thanks you
The chipboard on my floor was laid down… back in 1983. They are leasehold flats; but not really able to tell if they were joined together by a…. Groove method. But nevertheless… sawing down the joints very carefully does help to eliminate that particular creaking problem.
Just had this problem for squeeks near a wall it comes from a nail becoming slightly loose where wall is nailed down simply remove skirting cut away at plasterboard with stanley knife no higher than where skirting was. Drive couple of long screws into wall framing driving them into floor underneath also add bead of glue to bottom of wall framing for extra security, glue plasterboard back in place.
So sad that I just saw this video. Had a carpenter come over to fix creaking in our bedrooms. He just glue the small gaps of the chipboard. He did not lift/cut the chipboard to glue down. He did not even help remove the excess glue, saying it will offer extra support. How sad that we don’t have someone like you to help us. Our floor is still creaking, a little bit better, but still drives me crazy.
Oh that is sad 😔. It's a terrible problem and so hard to cure 100%. The floor I did is creaking again but it's not nearly as bad. Thanks for commenting.
I have the exact problems in my 90s house, exactly the same setup, you make it look simple but this is a tough job. At present I'm trying a pva/water mix down the grooves and also screwing the boards down . Taking the boards up will take me hours. Also the worst area is near My radiator I can actaully feel the pipes below the boards when I jump up and down on them. Nightmare of a job
Yes it is a tough job and there is no guarantee of a good outcome! I think the problem in the house in the video is where boards run under a wall ( the stud wall is perhaps built on top!). I think many joists have shrunk over the years too contributing to the problem. Best of luck with it.
Excellent video. Used the same method before I watched your video. The difference was you have solid beams. I have I-joists. So cannot add supports like you did. I chose not to glue floorboards down, since if you had to remove them for whatever. You just added to extra costs. Thank you for taking the time and effort. Appreciated 👍
My entire upstairs creaks. The previous owners at some point took up a lot of the flooring to install an additional light and to install a radiator in the conservatory. I suspect they didn't put the boards back down correctly. I was hoping I wouldn't need to cut the tongue and groove! Another channel recommends diluted PVA glue and working it into the gaps as well as installing additional screws. Is this a viable option?
Thank you for this amazing video! If only there were more skilled people like you. Every joiner & handyman I asked just refuse to sort out creaks in our house, saying it is normal for modern houses with chipboard flooring.
Thanks for your great comment. Sadly I'm not surprised that no-one wants to tackle the job as it's not easy and there is no guarantee that the squeaking can be silenced. My way didn't cure it all, in fact some noises returned after a month. I think that perhaps the joists have shrunk and move, as well as the stud walls where boards run underneath.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK have you tried this for floors that creak under stud walls... Remove the skirting board and fix a long screw at a 45 degree angle into the bottom of the stud wall. The idea is to fix the bottom of the stud wall solid to the floor board underneath. Run a few screws at 6 inch intervals and you'll be amazed at the results. Worked a treat for me. 👍🏻
@@Reakerboy That sounds a great idea. I've only done one floor like this so not tried it. If the floor I worked on gets worse I'll consider trying this.
@@danielwhetstone5632 All pipes and electrical cables should be running half way through the joists. By using the correct size screws (70mm max) there should be absolutely no chance of screwing so deep you mange to hit pipe or cable. All you're aiming to do is screw through the sole plate and into the floor board. Always proceed with caution ⚠
A lot of the problem is using ring shank nails as when the joists shrink your left with movement between chipboard and joist and when you stand on the floor the chipboard squeaks up and down on the ring shank nail, even though your joists might shrink and a normal nail was used then the squeaking wouldn't be so bad, i wouldnt remove the floor at all, i would remove the nails and use a heavy screw the same length as the nail, make sure that the threads of the screws dont go the full length of the screw as you might end up with the same problem as the ring shank nails, make sure the top half of the screw is smooth where the depth of chipboard is.
Excellent video John, would you mind posting the make and model of your track saw as I'm looking at getting the tools so i can do the same with my creaky floors? Thanks very much
Thanks, and I'm pleased you enjoyed it. I have a Festool TS 55 FEQ plunge saw and Festool tracks. They are first class but expensive. I'm sure that DeWalt or even Aldi or the Lidl version would be perfectly adequate for most woodworking jobs and considerably cheaper!
I'm pleased you liked it. It's a difficult problem to solve. I think the floor I tried to fix has joists that have shrunk, and I suspect they squeak where they run under adjacent walls, so there is not much hope of silencing them!
It's not an easy fix and I'm m not sure there is a permanent cure. I've heard of people lifting all the caberfloor including a stud wall so the floor could be removed from under it!
Two problems right off the bat; chipboard underlayment, and nailed, vs screwed down. I watched you pull out that nail, and it appeared to come out way too easily, especially for a ring shank!? Great video and I admire your thorough approach to solving the problem. Cheers! 👍👍👍👍😁✌🏻
Thank you George for your kind comment. Possibly screws would be better than nails but builders take the easy option! Either way the Caberfloor should be glued which it isn't. I gave the pry bar a hefty push to lift the nails so I think they were secure enough but who knows? Glad you enjoyed the video.
Prior to my recent comment that i made about creaking… squeaking chip board floors. i recently found out that… the real reason why chip board floors squeak and creak all the time when you tread on it.. is because when the boards are laid on the floor; builders nail them too close together, on the Joist. I noticed that when i ran a saw down the chipboard joints, very carefully… the squeaky noise stopped completely.
Chipboard floors are usually tongue and groove and they are meant to be glued together, but maybe yours aren't like that. That's good that you've found a solution.
Fantastic video, great quality work - but why install the rubbish chipboard back? Thin some marine ply, glued and screwed, would have been the ultimate improvement.
Thank you, pleaded you enjoyed it. This is Caberboard, a moisture resistant chipboard so probably better suited than ply which isn't as moisture proof.
It's not an easy job and there are still quite a few squeaky areas in the floor that I did. I think much of it comes from where the chipboard runs under the stud walls. I think bottom of the walls rub on the floor. If you think your issue is the same try removing the skirting board, drill 5mm holes at a downward angle through the bottom timber, don't go through the floor, and try squirting a PU foaming glue down the holes. With luck the glue will foam up and expand to fill the pesky gaps. I've not tried this but seen someone who has and I believe it worked.
Excellent information to know. I've just bought a hous with this stuff down & it wasn't noisy when we looked at it in the summer, over winter it is noisy as & pipes are constantly banging against joists, I've not pulled the floor up to see how bad it is yet, how long would a fixed like this last? is it an easy job to replace the chipboard with floorboards or plywood, would this be a better fix? home builders should be ashamed building homes like this to save money & it should be standard for plumbers to lag all pipes throughout the home to ensure they don't knock. They sure don't build homes as strong as they used too, I wonder how long newer homes will last using cheap materials.
Hi, how long a fix will last is going to depend on how well done the fix is. I doubt that replacing the chipboard with floorboards or ply will make any difference. It's all about stopping movement, one piece rubbing on another. It's not too difficult a job, just time consuming. In the house I did there was no way I could remove the chipboard from under a stud wall, which is definitely noisy, so I cut the floor close to the skirting but this was not entirely successful. I suspect that the joists have shrunk in places and this is allowing movement. You might be able to cure knocking pipes by securing with clips in places and wrapping insulations around where pipes pass through holes.
@@JohnTheHandymanUKequivalent thickness of plywood is vastly stiffer and stronger than chipboard. Since creaking noises arise from movement, the material that deforms least under load is to be preferred. OTOH, I suspect percussive noises may be less with chipboard, since it is acoustically dead.
@nobodydoesithalfasgoodasyou yes I'd agree that plywood is stronger but in think much of the noise comes from the joists that have dried out and shrunk a little. Particularly noticeable where the flooring runs under stud walls.
John am I able to pay you for an hour of your time? I’m after some help with tongue and groove chipboard and you’re the most knowledgeable guy I’ve found on TH-cam so far.
Hi James, I'm not sure that I can but email me at johnthehandymanuk@gmail.com. Give me an idea of what the problem is and where you live. I'm presuming you'd like me to come and see the problem. Happy to try and give advice by email but I'm no expert! Cheers.
Thanks very much Andrew. I hope it's helpful. I actually think the creaking in my floor comes from the joists under the stud partition walls so impossible to get at, unfortunately. Do subscribe please, I'm trying to get to 2000 subscribers.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Very helpful John. If there’s one thing I hate is chipboard flooring. I think our house was built on a Friday, late afternoon when the builder had got a promise on. Ha ha. There’s sections that has no support where the ends of the boards meet! Chuffin nightmare. Cheers John. Subscribing when I’ve wrote this. 😊👍🏻
I’ve got this problem to deal with in my bedroom I’ve got oak flooring to lay but have to get rid of the noisy floor I’ve seen a video where wooden shims are inserted under the party wall to stop movement looks like I’ll have to use your method and shims under the wall.I’ve already removed architrave and skirting thanks for your post very helpful
Thanks for your kind comment and I'm pleased you enjoyed the video. Shims under the party walls sounds like a very good plan. I've not heard of that. The floor in the video has developed more squeaks which is annoying and I've a feeling it's to do with where the floor runs under party walls and maybe shrinking or poorly fitted joists are contribution to the problem. One chap told me he'd taken down his stud walls! Good luck, it's not an easy fix.
I'm not really sure that plywood wood be better. Certainly no worse. If you are just changing some boards, you might not find them the same thickness which would cause you problems. I think the problems in my room is that the joists may have shrunk and now move against other timbers.
The best thing to do with creaky chipboard flooring…. is to drill holes where it creaks; and pump in some of that expanding foam solution. (That’s assuming there are no cables underneath) After a few hours ( when it goes off) should be alright. I’ve already replaced my tiny hallway with plywood. Much stronger than rubbish cheap chipboard; But it is expensive to buy. Building materials don’t come cheap these days. To replace my bed-sitting floor would cost around 1K. Friday am. 18th August 2023. Southampton England 🏴
Very informative thanks and just what I needed as I’m sorting a squeaky bedroom floor and replacing some parts. Sadly previous work by a plumber has left some boards hacked so I have to use butted ends not T&G. Should there be a gap when butting joints or can I go right up and glue and screw?
I don't think you need to butt them up, they may possibly rub together and squeak if you do. Having said that if they are fixed down tight they should be fine. I never completely got rid of the squeaks as I realised that the movement was often at the very edge of the floor, and under a stud partition wall that had been built over a floorboard. It's possible the ends of the joists may have shrunk and so be the problem. Once you've lifted the boards, see if the squeaks are still present. If they are then it could be the joints moving. Good luck with that one!
which one is it? Don't screw through carpet, but ok to run a circular saw or a multitool? Is it easier to screw at a cable or pipe or catch it with a circular saw?
If I understand your questions....It's fine to run a circular saw as the teeth barely protrude through the floor. Any cables and pipes ought to be below the teeth so won't be damaged. Screwing through the carpet is a definite "don't do" as you run the risk of hitting a pipe or cable.
Hi John, I have near enough 4 to 5 inch wide boards, it’s an old house and it makes loads of noise only in my main bedroom, I have a newborn now and the noise wakes her up, I have to walk through a bombfield by remembering where the noise is and where it ain’t, I actually purchased that not squeak tool you mentioned lol to do it myself but after what you’ve said I’m abit sceptical to do so, what should I do? Please, some advice will be grateful, I’ve put new carpets up and one bedroom the carpet fitter fixed the squeaky noise by adding and replacing nails, but I don’t know what to do now
Hi Mizan, I feel your pain especially with a baby. If it were me I'd take up all the carpet and underlay first and find which boards are the problem. Then I'd lift those boards so that I could see the joists etc for fixing back. If there are cables or pipes mark their position on the floor so that you don't damage them and refix the boards with floor board nails or screws. Perhaps try 5 x 60mm screws and drill a pilot hole through the boards first. The boards need to be tight to the joists. If you use screws it will be easy to take the boards up again if necessary. Check for squeaks before refitting the carpet. Maybe use the bedroom a few nights before fitting the carpets. I hope this helps and good luck.
John, you’re an absolute legend. I just completed an extension room, and unfortunately, the other half of the room is very slightly sloped down. It’s at that middle-point where my creak is, nowhere else. I need your help… I would really appreciate your advice on the below… So my room floor is also using 2.4m x 600m chipboards. 1. As per 0:53 seconds, I see that, instead of taking off the screws and lifting joists, you used a circular saw cutter and track between each. After putting them back down after completing your fix, I didn’t quite understand how you / your method in rejoining the pieces “the tongue”? As you mentioned, at 0:43 (they’re “.. Grooved on edges and Locked into adjacent..”) - if you cut that groove off… what to do?! 2. How can I ensure that when I use a cutter to see what’s under, it does not touch/cut a timber Joist? I.e. how can I figure out/ensure the blade of the cutter does not cut too deep downwards? 3. For my situation which is creeking only at the middle-point of the room… can I not just nail it down? I see YOUR actual solution was just adding more “noggins” underneath each squeak area and gluing / screwing it. I don’t think that’s my issue? Please help! You’d be saving my life. And oh, liked and subscribed!
Hi Shakib, thanks for your kind comments and for subscribing, much appreciated. Cutting the boards effectively cuts the tongue and groove off. I managed to glue one piece back but generally you just have to screw or nail the board back with a tiny gap between them. My theory us if they don't touch then there may be less chance of them squeaking. Just set the blade depth to just under what you think the thickness is and make a cut. If you don't go through the board, then lower the blade a couple of millimetres until you do go through. It's not going to matter if you just nick the top of the joists. In your situation I'd try banging in the existing nails and then add some screws next to them. Drill pilot holes first and make sure that when you drive the screws in the boards don't lift. Don't pierce any pipes of cables! Hope this helps and good luck.
Hi John, excellent video. I live in a flat with really bad floors that dip and are structured with the same materials in your video. I have fitted wardrobes which cover large areas of the joists so access is difficult. I don't fancy tackling it at all but wonder if instead of carpet, a laminate floor on top of it might alleviate the noise a little? Thank you.
Hi Tom, and thanks for the kind comment. To he honest, I don't think changing the floor covering will make any difference. The squeaks, I suspect, come from the edges of the floor and joints. The floor in the video still squeaks around the edges. I think the joists have shrunk, and they might benefit from wedges being driven into any gaps, but that's impossible to do! I wonder if laying another chipboard or ply floor on top of the existing and screwing it down would help. It might lessen the movement but if the joists are the problem it may make little difference.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Thank you. I suspect you are right and think it might be best to just live with it. I've a feeling that if I wanted it remedied properly I would have to take out all of the walls and fittings, lift the floor and start afresh! Thanks again.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK It is most likely the joists themselves, as you say. They tend to move/shrink in the joist hangers over the years. It's not really an issue when the builder does the job correctly and secures the joists to the hangers properly. Unfortunately, it's very common to find they just haven't bothered because it won't be their problem. You can sometimes get to the hangers to wedge and screw them but it's a pain. A bit of expanding foam in the floorboard gaps created isn't going to help squeaks but helps in other ways. Good videos, keep up the good work ty.
Thanks for your comment and best of luck with the problem. It's a difficult one to solve. I think much of the squeaking comes from under adjacent stud walls and from joints that have shrunk or been poorly fitted.
Excellent video, one of the best ones out there!!👍🏻Provides a good starting point for my bedroom sqeaky floor replacement and soundproofing. I am cutting the existing 22mm chipboard along the edges of the wall, take up the old chipboard and install the new one. Additional noggings to be added, along with glue and screw. In your opinion, do I need to add 3mm expension gap where the old & new chipboard connects? Many thanks in advance!
Thanks for your kind comment. I think a 3mm gap would be sensible. My way of tackling this may not be the best and it didn't stop all the squeaking. I wonder if joists have shrunk and allow movement? Can't fix that! Where chipboard runs under a partition wall it seems to be a problem too. I think this is just poor house building at the end of the day and any fix won't be a 100% success.
i am doing this exact job caber flooring when installed correctly and supported underneath doesnt squeak or move . every house i work on where this flooring is installed it isnt done correctly ,the way you have repaired your flooring is the exact way i do it and the only way.
Thanks for your kind comment Roy. I have to admit that some squeaking never went away and I think it's the joists that may have shrunk a little or it's where the caberfloor runs under an adjoining wall.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK sorry for the late response john the job in question the old flooring was similar to kaber floor but was very dry and the composition of it was very sparse,,,broken in places where plumbers had done a repair the main problem was there was an rsj installed where a wall had been removed downstairs the joists were floating inside the recess ,,,very bad building id you ask me ,,,,after much fixing and packing and reinstallation of new flooring no squeaks anywhwere ,,,,i know it wont last forever but customer was over the moon .
Hi John. yes the glue will be a problem if they need to lifted again. I didn't use any particular screws but I think I drilled a clearance pilot hole in the boards first.
A really good video and tips. I've got a noisy floorboard in my bathroom and when walked on you can hear a pipe! But hopefully that will soon be sorted. Thanks very much!
Thank you for your kind comment. Some lagging or insulation around the noisy pipe where it bangs on a joist or floor board, if you can get the floor up, should silence the pipe. Good luck.
I'm in a newly built house ( 2019 ) and the floors are a nightmare! I wish chipboard had never been invented. My last house ( 1860 ) had pine board floors throughout.
I feel for you! It is a nightmare and a difficult problem to solve. I think much of the noise comes from where the chipboard runs under stud walls and maybe from joists that have been poorly fitted or have shrunk.
Out of interest, why did you put back down the old floor after cutting through the tongue and groove? I am doing similar for my floor soon but replacing the chipboard.
Great video and you have given me the confidence to tackle this myself (not for creaks but for some sagging chipboard which i want level for tiling. p.s Did you screw the boards down back into the original holes or were the holes ones you had pilot drilled and countersunk? If the former that seems like a bad idea vs screwing in to fresh board.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK On the topic of replacing rather than re-using the chipboard, I have measured the board to see if it was 18 or 22, and i seem to be measuring ~20mm annoyingly! Any thoughts? I have seen a few DIY Forums which mention it. House is in UK and built around mid 80's. Need to try to find some similar as packing out 2mm seems like a faf and prone to other problems.
@dougjinks2694 I unsure what thickness boards you have. Are you saying they are 20mm and you can only buy 18mm, which is why they would need 2mm packers? If your boards are sagging, can you either turn them over or screw and glue a board, say 12mm ply to the underside to strengthen them,
What a fantastic informative video. My flooring upstairs is really bad in both bedrooms and stairs are too! That house looks the same as ours too!. Very poor houses for noisey flooring.😊⭐👍
Thanks for your kind comment. I hope you can sort your floors. It's not easy and success is not guaranteed. Please subscribe if you've not already. Thank you.
Hi, once you remove the carpet and underlay then you will see the existing pattern of screws...if you drilled new screws adjacent to each of the old screws, maybe offset by 1cm, wouldn't that be a quick fix rather than removing all the floorboards? (The logic being that the existing screws are perfectly placed already)
My floor is nailed, not screwed but I guess your way would work, but you would be taking a chance on not hitting a pipe or cable! Lifting the floor gives sight of what's underneath.
I tried this, it didn't work. It's the unsupported edges of the panels (between the joists) that are making all the noise, hence the need for the noggins. I'll be following Johns method. I was also impressed with the track saw, could you post what make it is please?
I had limited success, eliminated most of the squeaks, but yes, I think the joins are were the main problem area lies. I used a pvc water mixture to help seal the existing noggins. I guess I achieved around 75% elimination without lifting the boards.
Yes Chris it's Gorilla glue and it does need water to activate it although if the humidity is high there is probably no need to dampen one surface. I wiped one surface with a damp rag before applying the glue as shown in the video.
I made the exact same comments about T&G fixes (through carpets and in other videos). T&G chipboard, awful stuff! Our house suffers from it too, in fact very few fitted with such are quiet, in my experience. The trade fitting T&G chipboard, should, by now, (our house is 31yrs old) know how to affix the stuff well, for the sake of longevity!?
The chipboard should be fine if properly glued. Yes indeed the trade should know better. Well I imagine some do but time is money on new builds! Doing a proper job seems to go out of the window!
Hi John, amen to that, the knack is knowing the materials and doing the best job possible. Our current house is 30/31yrs old and built just as recession struck. Wish I knew the floorboards would get like this the last time that the carpets were up. Oh well at least I know how to fix em now. Thanks again.
Builders have always used nails, presumably for speed and cost. The nails are serrated so grip the wood fibres well. Screws might not tighten the chipboard down tight to a joist if they are threaded the entire length. Drilling a suitable pilot hole in the chipboard overcomes this. Another reason to used nails which by and large are satisfactory. The boards should be glued as well.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK ok So, do you have an video or something about subfloor and the wood placements on a concrete floor (need new floor in an apartment block) and make it so it doesnt squeak? Currently its just horrible sounds whereever you walk
4:07 would that movement breakdown the bonding strength of that board and eventually breakthrough? (basically fall apart going back to its original form)
No I don't think the board would break. It runs under the stud wall and I was applying a lot of pressure to make it flex. Having made the cut near the wall it might break if you jumped up and down on it, unlikely, and that's why I added a noggin.
It drives me nuts those squeaky boards.Someone has added extra screws but did not help.I assume it is boards themselves .Whoever builds new blocks with wooden floors is crazy. Flat I live in has almost all rooms with squaky boards.
I feel your pain! The squeaks may be coming from the joists if they have shrunk. This type of floor is supposed to be glued and nailed but often a builder won't bother to glue them!
Good video. I've never understood why those floorboards need to be 'tongue & groove'??! (why do they need to slot into each other? Surely gravity and screws is enough to hold them in place!
Thanks for your comment. I imagine the tongue and groove are supposed to make the floor more "solid" but I'm not sure that works! Keeps the dust out though.
You got lucky usually nowadays the chip board is well glued down to joists and is a big job getting it up and chiselling. Keep the lid on that PU glue it will all go hard with the air getting to it
@@JohnTheHandymanUK much appreciated, thank you. Moving into a property and they are squeeking everywhere, but the joists are those stupid lightweight hollow ones, rather than proper solid ones that I can easily add additional ones.
Joist and noggins spacings are correct and the usual. Glue would have helped as I mentioned. The problem seems to lie under the party walls where I suspect timbers have dried and shrunk a little.
Hello Chloe, thanks for your kind comment. Unfortunately I've retired and just do jobs for family and myself so I'm unable to help you. Sorry about that. Regards, John.
Chipboard is a really poor material to use on UK houses, as is the dot and dab practically cardboard walls, new build houses are built with rubbish by often poorly trained tradesman then sold for half a million and the developers laugh all the way to the bank.
Great advise and job well done 👏 for future it might be worth getting a nail puller, screwfix has one 6138k around £15 it done all my floor boards de nailed ready for screws without fathing around with removing material with chisels etc. The squeaks were driving us nuts but for some wierd reason the source of the problem was manly the stud wall nail fixings in the floor joist causing a rising and lowering when walking
Thanks Tom for the kind words and tip. Somewhere I've got a pair of very old Carpenter's Pincers. They must be the traditional nail puller I think as they have been around for decades. Only £4 in Wilkinsons these days. I agree the squeaks seem to be mainly from under stud walls so impossible to eliminate. I suspect that timber joists in modern houses shrink too much and that makes things worse.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK As I say I am no expert, but do have the same problem in a master bedroom added to an existing house that has floorboards. The rest of the house is quiet, the chipboard floors noisy.
It seems to me that this is another reason not to buy a new house if you can (poor quality build, poor quality materials and almost always poor quality design). Who built this house - you need to name and shame!
@@ThomasColeman You don't pack floors with insulation, especially if there are electric cables runnng through them as this raises the thermal properties of the cables. Ask any decent electrician!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK we tried everything with ours and nothing worked. In the end we had to evacuate upstairs, took out all the partition walls and put proper floorboards down, it was an horrendous job to do. It has cured the problem but didn’t come cheap....
As chipboard goes it's par for the course. I did remove about half The floor, the areas that were squeaky. Replacing with anything else probably won't help. Stopping the movement in the boards and joists is the aim. The remaining squeaks are where boards run under stud walls and I wasn't going to remove them! It's very difficult to cure this problem.
Finally sorted this out in my house after years and hours of trying to figure it out. In the end I cut a square in the plasterboard and found a bloody great nail that some lazy arse had left 2 inches proud instead of banging it home 30 years ago. Won’t budge now of course. The solution? Sprayed WD40 into the gap to lubricator the nail as the joist moved up and down. Silence. Don’t know how long it will last, but these dodgy builders need shooting.
I doubt it would be easier. You still have to lift the chipboard but then have to cut the replacements floor boards to size and unless you take down adjoining stud walls you won't be able to remove the chipboard around the edges.
Finally found a video that pretty much exactly matches our setup - great idea with the noggins, I'm tackling our bedroom this weekend and have everything I need apart from the timber and track - Thanks John!
I'm pleased you found it useful. To be honest the squeaks haven't all gone! I think the joints have shrunk over time and it's these that squeak where they go under a wall. Best of luck, it's a bit of a pain to do!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Thanks! I was originally going to try and lift the boards up after I cut one out but it seems that's an impossible task with them being under the skirting.
I was actually recommended some D4 tongue and groove glue and was told that makes the world of difference - fingers crossed!
@@reecevaughan4225 Yes the foaming glues might work but I suspect that you need the glue between the floor and the joists, which means taking up the flooring. A little trial and error is needed I think!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK worked a treat for me! Took 3 days and I had to pop some packers under the skirting but squeak free!
@@reecevaughan4225 excellent news. The packers are a great idea so I hope it stays squeak free!
What a wonderful video and great advice. Thank you. It is a task I dearly need to perform soon because the creaks and squeaks in our 1985 home are driving me insane. Looks simple enough to do.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Looks can be deceptive, the job is time consuming and a squeak free result not guaranteed! There is not much one can do about joists that have shrunk and move and where board run under a stud wall.
Noggins are definitely the answer. Not only do they provide additional support to the boards, but they also help stop the joists twisting. I wish new house builders would install noggins throughout.
Hi thanks for the video!! I had a similar issue in the house in a couple of places. A bit of advice to everyone, what I found out was by juts hammering the existing nails down cured the problem without having to lift the boards in my case I just put a floor Tite screw close to where the nail was and that has cured the very noise and loose feel to the floor. Thanks you
Hi Diego, I probably should have tried what you did before taking up the floor. It might have saved me a lot of work! Thanks for commenting.
The chipboard on my floor was laid down… back in 1983. They are leasehold flats; but not really able to tell if they were joined together by a…. Groove method. But nevertheless… sawing down the joints very carefully does help to eliminate that particular creaking problem.
Just had this problem for squeeks near a wall it comes from a nail becoming slightly loose where wall is nailed down simply remove skirting cut away at plasterboard with stanley knife no higher than where skirting was. Drive couple of long screws into wall framing driving them into floor underneath also add bead of glue to bottom of wall framing for extra security, glue plasterboard back in place.
Pleased you fixed it.
So sad that I just saw this video. Had a carpenter come over to fix creaking in our bedrooms. He just glue the small gaps of the chipboard. He did not lift/cut the chipboard to glue down. He did not even help remove the excess glue, saying it will offer extra support. How sad that we don’t have someone like you to help us. Our floor is still creaking, a little bit better, but still drives me crazy.
Oh that is sad 😔. It's a terrible problem and so hard to cure 100%. The floor I did is creaking again but it's not nearly as bad. Thanks for commenting.
Another idea that I use is to get a marker pen and write on the floorboards the direction of water pipes before putting the carpets back.
Yes, it's a great idea. I've done that in the past but forgot this time!
I have the exact problems in my 90s house, exactly the same setup, you make it look simple but this is a tough job.
At present I'm trying a pva/water mix down the grooves and also screwing the boards down .
Taking the boards up will take me hours.
Also the worst area is near My radiator I can actaully feel the pipes below the boards when I jump up and down on them.
Nightmare of a job
Yes it is a tough job and there is no guarantee of a good outcome! I think the problem in the house in the video is where boards run under a wall ( the stud wall is perhaps built on top!). I think many joists have shrunk over the years too contributing to the problem. Best of luck with it.
Best way to do it, I've done mine and also put some r44 insulation in, for sound and heat. Great video 📹 👍.
Thanks for the kind comment. Sound insulation is a good idea. Cheers.
Excellent video. Used the same method before I watched your video. The difference was you have solid beams. I have I-joists. So cannot add supports like you did. I chose not to glue floorboards down, since if you had to remove them for whatever. You just added to extra costs. Thank you for taking the time and effort. Appreciated 👍
Thank you so much I appreciate your kind comment. I-joists would be a problem for sure. I didn't glue all the boards just some.
For I-Joists you can get Z brackets. Could also go down the route of using pocket holes in muggins and just use the 4x2 in on the flat side
My entire upstairs creaks. The previous owners at some point took up a lot of the flooring to install an additional light and to install a radiator in the conservatory. I suspect they didn't put the boards back down correctly. I was hoping I wouldn't need to cut the tongue and groove! Another channel recommends diluted PVA glue and working it into the gaps as well as installing additional screws. Is this a viable option?
Thank you for this amazing video! If only there were more skilled people like you. Every joiner & handyman I asked just refuse to sort out creaks in our house, saying it is normal for modern houses with chipboard flooring.
Thanks for your great comment. Sadly I'm not surprised that no-one wants to tackle the job as it's not easy and there is no guarantee that the squeaking can be silenced. My way didn't cure it all, in fact some noises returned after a month. I think that perhaps the joists have shrunk and move, as well as the stud walls where boards run underneath.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK have you tried this for floors that creak under stud walls... Remove the skirting board and fix a long screw at a 45 degree angle into the bottom of the stud wall. The idea is to fix the bottom of the stud wall solid to the floor board underneath. Run a few screws at 6 inch intervals and you'll be amazed at the results. Worked a treat for me. 👍🏻
@@Reakerboy That sounds a great idea. I've only done one floor like this so not tried it. If the floor I worked on gets worse I'll consider trying this.
@@Reakerboy that sounds good but what about hitting any pipes?
@@danielwhetstone5632 All pipes and electrical cables should be running half way through the joists. By using the correct size screws (70mm max) there should be absolutely no chance of screwing so deep you mange to hit pipe or cable. All you're aiming to do is screw through the sole plate and into the floor board. Always proceed with caution ⚠
Tip..a hollow gasket punch also enables you to get at the nail heads.
A lot of the problem is using ring shank nails as when the joists shrink your left with movement between chipboard and joist and when you stand on the floor the chipboard squeaks up and down on the ring shank nail, even though your joists might shrink and a normal nail was used then the squeaking wouldn't be so bad, i wouldnt remove the floor at all, i would remove the nails and use a heavy screw the same length as the nail, make sure that the threads of the screws dont go the full length of the screw as you might end up with the same problem as the ring shank nails, make sure the top half of the screw is smooth where the depth of chipboard is.
This is such an useful video with solutions for real world issues. Many Thanks!!👍
That's very kind, thank you.
Excellent video John, would you mind posting the make and model of your track saw as I'm looking at getting the tools so i can do the same with my creaky floors? Thanks very much
Thanks, and I'm pleased you enjoyed it. I have a Festool TS 55 FEQ plunge saw and Festool tracks. They are first class but expensive. I'm sure that DeWalt or even Aldi or the Lidl version would be perfectly adequate for most woodworking jobs and considerably cheaper!
Superb !
Very Clear instruction and very handy tips too, thank you.
I'm pleased you liked it. It's a difficult problem to solve. I think the floor I tried to fix has joists that have shrunk, and I suspect they squeak where they run under adjacent walls, so there is not much hope of silencing them!
Fantastic video and a great help , thanks so much 😊
Thank you so much. That's appreciated.
Would be good to chuck a but of acoustic insulation in there also.
I have a very similar problem based in Buckinghamshire. Could do with this being done in my house!
It's not an easy fix and I'm m not sure there is a permanent cure. I've heard of people lifting all the caberfloor including a stud wall so the floor could be removed from under it!
Two problems right off the bat; chipboard underlayment, and nailed, vs screwed down. I watched you pull out that nail, and it appeared to come out way too easily, especially for a ring shank!? Great video and I admire your thorough approach to solving the problem.
Cheers! 👍👍👍👍😁✌🏻
Thank you George for your kind comment. Possibly screws would be better than nails but builders take the easy option! Either way the Caberfloor should be glued which it isn't. I gave the pry bar a hefty push to lift the nails so I think they were secure enough but who knows? Glad you enjoyed the video.
Prior to my recent comment that i made about creaking… squeaking chip board floors. i recently found out that… the real reason why chip board floors squeak and creak all the time when you tread on it.. is because when the boards are laid on the floor; builders nail them too close together, on the Joist.
I noticed that when i ran a saw down the chipboard joints, very carefully… the squeaky noise stopped completely.
Chipboard floors are usually tongue and groove and they are meant to be glued together, but maybe yours aren't like that. That's good that you've found a solution.
Fantastic video, great quality work - but why install the rubbish chipboard back? Thin some marine ply, glued and screwed, would have been the ultimate improvement.
Thank you, pleaded you enjoyed it. This is Caberboard, a moisture resistant chipboard so probably better suited than ply which isn't as moisture proof.
I'm seriously considering doing this in my house. I'd also like to level my floors afterwards. Any tips or suggestions would be great.
It's not an easy job and there are still quite a few squeaky areas in the floor that I did. I think much of it comes from where the chipboard runs under the stud walls. I think bottom of the walls rub on the floor. If you think your issue is the same try removing the skirting board, drill 5mm holes at a downward angle through the bottom timber, don't go through the floor, and try squirting a PU foaming glue down the holes. With luck the glue will foam up and expand to fill the pesky gaps. I've not tried this but seen someone who has and I believe it worked.
Thanks for the response
Excellent information to know. I've just bought a hous with this stuff down & it wasn't noisy when we looked at it in the summer, over winter it is noisy as & pipes are constantly banging against joists, I've not pulled the floor up to see how bad it is yet, how long would a fixed like this last? is it an easy job to replace the chipboard with floorboards or plywood, would this be a better fix? home builders should be ashamed building homes like this to save money & it should be standard for plumbers to lag all pipes throughout the home to ensure they don't knock. They sure don't build homes as strong as they used too, I wonder how long newer homes will last using cheap materials.
Hi, how long a fix will last is going to depend on how well done the fix is. I doubt that replacing the chipboard with floorboards or ply will make any difference. It's all about stopping movement, one piece rubbing on another. It's not too difficult a job, just time consuming. In the house I did there was no way I could remove the chipboard from under a stud wall, which is definitely noisy, so I cut the floor close to the skirting but this was not entirely successful. I suspect that the joists have shrunk in places and this is allowing movement. You might be able to cure knocking pipes by securing with clips in places and wrapping insulations around where pipes pass through holes.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Great to know, thank you for your reply.
@@JohnTheHandymanUKequivalent thickness of plywood is vastly stiffer and stronger than chipboard. Since creaking noises arise from movement, the material that deforms least under load is to be preferred. OTOH, I suspect percussive noises may be less with chipboard, since it is acoustically dead.
@nobodydoesithalfasgoodasyou yes I'd agree that plywood is stronger but in think much of the noise comes from the joists that have dried out and shrunk a little. Particularly noticeable where the flooring runs under stud walls.
John am I able to pay you for an hour of your time? I’m after some help with tongue and groove chipboard and you’re the most knowledgeable guy I’ve found on TH-cam so far.
Hi James, I'm not sure that I can but email me at johnthehandymanuk@gmail.com.
Give me an idea of what the problem is and where you live. I'm presuming you'd like me to come and see the problem. Happy to try and give advice by email but I'm no expert! Cheers.
Pretty good that!!! Done me a favour because I’ve got some to rip up.
Personally I wouldn’t glue them, just in case I needed them up at a later date.
Thanks very much Andrew. I hope it's helpful. I actually think the creaking in my floor comes from the joists under the stud partition walls so impossible to get at, unfortunately. Do subscribe please, I'm trying to get to 2000 subscribers.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Very helpful John. If there’s one thing I hate is chipboard flooring. I think our house was built on a Friday, late afternoon when the builder had got a promise on. Ha ha. There’s sections that has no support where the ends of the boards meet! Chuffin nightmare.
Cheers John. Subscribing when I’ve wrote this. 😊👍🏻
Why are houses now our day not constructed with block cement to avoid all these shit! Yet house value keeps shorting up like an xspace 🚀
I’ve got this problem to deal with in my bedroom I’ve got oak flooring to lay but have to get rid of the noisy floor I’ve seen a video where wooden shims are inserted under the party wall to stop movement looks like I’ll have to use your method and shims under the wall.I’ve already removed architrave and skirting thanks for your post very helpful
Thanks for your kind comment and I'm pleased you enjoyed the video. Shims under the party walls sounds like a very good plan. I've not heard of that. The floor in the video has developed more squeaks which is annoying and I've a feeling it's to do with where the floor runs under party walls and maybe shrinking or poorly fitted joists are contribution to the problem. One chap told me he'd taken down his stud walls! Good luck, it's not an easy fix.
thanks I was asked this question on my first day at job
Thanks for vid. Would plywood work better than chipboard for strength and reducing creaking sound? I'm a compete novice I don't know..
I'm not really sure that plywood wood be better. Certainly no worse. If you are just changing some boards, you might not find them the same thickness which would cause you problems. I think the problems in my room is that the joists may have shrunk and now move against other timbers.
The best thing to do with creaky chipboard flooring…. is to drill holes where it creaks; and pump in some of that expanding foam solution. (That’s assuming there are no cables underneath) After a few hours ( when it goes off) should be alright. I’ve already replaced my tiny hallway with plywood. Much stronger than rubbish cheap chipboard; But it is expensive to buy. Building materials don’t come cheap these days. To replace my bed-sitting floor would cost around 1K.
Friday am. 18th August 2023. Southampton England 🏴
I quite like that idea.
go easy with that foam or it will pop the ceilng underneath !
Very informative thanks and just what I needed as I’m sorting a squeaky bedroom floor and replacing some parts. Sadly previous work by a plumber has left some boards hacked so I have to use butted ends not T&G. Should there be a gap when butting joints or can I go right up and glue and screw?
I don't think you need to butt them up, they may possibly rub together and squeak if you do. Having said that if they are fixed down tight they should be fine. I never completely got rid of the squeaks as I realised that the movement was often at the very edge of the floor, and under a stud partition wall that had been built over a floorboard. It's possible the ends of the joists may have shrunk and so be the problem. Once you've lifted the boards, see if the squeaks are still present. If they are then it could be the joints moving. Good luck with that one!
Thank you
which one is it? Don't screw through carpet, but ok to run a circular saw or a multitool? Is it easier to screw at a cable or pipe or catch it with a circular saw?
If I understand your questions....It's fine to run a circular saw as the teeth barely protrude through the floor. Any cables and pipes ought to be below the teeth so won't be damaged. Screwing through the carpet is a definite "don't do" as you run the risk of hitting a pipe or cable.
Hi John, I have near enough 4 to 5 inch wide boards, it’s an old house and it makes loads of noise only in my main bedroom, I have a newborn now and the noise wakes her up, I have to walk through a bombfield by remembering where the noise is and where it ain’t, I actually purchased that not squeak tool you mentioned lol to do it myself but after what you’ve said I’m abit sceptical to do so, what should I do?
Please, some advice will be grateful, I’ve put new carpets up and one bedroom the carpet fitter fixed the squeaky noise by adding and replacing nails, but I don’t know what to do now
Hi Mizan, I feel your pain especially with a baby. If it were me I'd take up all the carpet and underlay first and find which boards are the problem. Then I'd lift those boards so that I could see the joists etc for fixing back. If there are cables or pipes mark their position on the floor so that you don't damage them and refix the boards with floor board nails or screws. Perhaps try 5 x 60mm screws and drill a pilot hole through the boards first. The boards need to be tight to the joists. If you use screws it will be easy to take the boards up again if necessary. Check for squeaks before refitting the carpet. Maybe use the bedroom a few nights before fitting the carpets. I hope this helps and good luck.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK thank you 🙏
John, you’re an absolute legend. I just completed an extension room, and unfortunately, the other half of the room is very slightly sloped down. It’s at that middle-point where my creak is, nowhere else. I need your help…
I would really appreciate your advice on the below…
So my room floor is also using 2.4m x 600m chipboards.
1. As per 0:53 seconds, I see that, instead of taking off the screws and lifting joists, you used a circular saw cutter and track between each. After putting them back down after completing your fix, I didn’t quite understand how you / your method in rejoining the pieces “the tongue”? As you mentioned, at 0:43 (they’re “.. Grooved on edges and Locked into adjacent..”) - if you cut that groove off… what to do?!
2. How can I ensure that when I use a cutter to see what’s under, it does not touch/cut a timber Joist? I.e. how can I figure out/ensure the blade of the cutter does not cut too deep downwards?
3. For my situation which is creeking only at the middle-point of the room… can I not just nail it down? I see YOUR actual solution was just adding more “noggins” underneath each squeak area and gluing / screwing it. I don’t think that’s my issue?
Please help! You’d be saving my life.
And oh, liked and subscribed!
Hi Shakib, thanks for your kind comments and for subscribing, much appreciated.
Cutting the boards effectively cuts the tongue and groove off. I managed to glue one piece back but generally you just have to screw or nail the board back with a tiny gap between them. My theory us if they don't touch then there may be less chance of them squeaking.
Just set the blade depth to just under what you think the thickness is and make a cut. If you don't go through the board, then lower the blade a couple of millimetres until you do go through. It's not going to matter if you just nick the top of the joists.
In your situation I'd try banging in the existing nails and then add some screws next to them. Drill pilot holes first and make sure that when you drive the screws in the boards don't lift. Don't pierce any pipes of cables!
Hope this helps and good luck.
Hi John, excellent video. I live in a flat with really bad floors that dip and are structured with the same materials in your video. I have fitted wardrobes which cover large areas of the joists so access is difficult. I don't fancy tackling it at all but wonder if instead of carpet, a laminate floor on top of it might alleviate the noise a little? Thank you.
Hi Tom, and thanks for the kind comment. To he honest, I don't think changing the floor covering will make any difference. The squeaks, I suspect, come from the edges of the floor and joints. The floor in the video still squeaks around the edges. I think the joists have shrunk, and they might benefit from wedges being driven into any gaps, but that's impossible to do! I wonder if laying another chipboard or ply floor on top of the existing and screwing it down would help. It might lessen the movement but if the joists are the problem it may make little difference.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK Thank you. I suspect you are right and think it might be best to just live with it. I've a feeling that if I wanted it remedied properly I would have to take out all of the walls and fittings, lift the floor and start afresh! Thanks again.
Yes I think fixing it would involve stripping everything out! As you say you'll have to live with it.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK It is most likely the joists themselves, as you say. They tend to move/shrink in the joist hangers over the years. It's not really an issue when the builder does the job correctly and secures the joists to the hangers properly.
Unfortunately, it's very common to find they just haven't bothered because it won't be their problem.
You can sometimes get to the hangers to wedge and screw them but it's a pain.
A bit of expanding foam in the floorboard gaps created isn't going to help squeaks but helps in other ways.
Good videos, keep up the good work ty.
Thanks for video. Have same problems. Will try do it myself
Thanks for your comment and best of luck with the problem. It's a difficult one to solve. I think much of the squeaking comes from under adjacent stud walls and from joints that have shrunk or been poorly fitted.
Beginning to spend more & more of my time doing this for people
@@kezoy08 .....Hi, i`m in Essex.....
Excellent video, one of the best ones out there!!👍🏻Provides a good starting point for my bedroom sqeaky floor replacement and soundproofing. I am cutting the existing 22mm chipboard along the edges of the wall, take up the old chipboard and install the new one. Additional noggings to be added, along with glue and screw. In your opinion, do I need to add 3mm expension gap where the old & new chipboard connects?
Many thanks in advance!
Thanks for your kind comment. I think a 3mm gap would be sensible. My way of tackling this may not be the best and it didn't stop all the squeaking. I wonder if joists have shrunk and allow movement? Can't fix that! Where chipboard runs under a partition wall it seems to be a problem too. I think this is just poor house building at the end of the day and any fix won't be a 100% success.
i am doing this exact job caber flooring when installed correctly and supported underneath doesnt squeak or move .
every house i work on where this flooring is installed it isnt done correctly ,the way you have repaired your flooring is the exact way i do it and the only way.
Thanks for your kind comment Roy. I have to admit that some squeaking never went away and I think it's the joists that may have shrunk a little or it's where the caberfloor runs under an adjoining wall.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK sorry for the late response john the job in question the old flooring was similar to kaber floor but was very dry and the composition of it was very sparse,,,broken in places where plumbers had done a repair the main problem was there was an rsj installed where a wall had been removed downstairs the joists were floating inside the recess ,,,very bad building id you ask me ,,,,after much fixing and packing and reinstallation of new flooring no squeaks anywhwere ,,,,i know it wont last forever but customer was over the moon .
@@roystone1642 wow...that sounds incredible. We'll done for sorting that one. It must have been a nightmare!
Hi John, great video. Will the glue be a problem if the boards need to be lifted again. And did you use any particular floor board screws?
Hi John. yes the glue will be a problem if they need to lifted again. I didn't use any particular screws but I think I drilled a clearance pilot hole in the boards first.
A really good video and tips. I've got a noisy floorboard in my bathroom and when walked on you can hear a pipe! But hopefully that will soon be sorted. Thanks very much!
Thank you for your kind comment. Some lagging or insulation around the noisy pipe where it bangs on a joist or floor board, if you can get the floor up, should silence the pipe. Good luck.
I'm in a newly built house ( 2019 ) and the floors are a nightmare! I wish chipboard had never been invented. My last house ( 1860 ) had pine board floors throughout.
I feel for you! It is a nightmare and a difficult problem to solve. I think much of the noise comes from where the chipboard runs under stud walls and maybe from joists that have been poorly fitted or have shrunk.
Would bees wax work as a lubricant on those vertical boards under the floor planks?
If you mean the joists then bees wax might work. I can't really say how successful it would be.
Thank you for sharing your experience
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it. 🙂
Very good video. Explains a lot and highlights how much work is involved to fix squeaky Chipboard floors. Would you fancy doing mine ?
Pleased you enjoyed it, thanks. I've retired now and only work on my own projects and for family.
Out of interest, why did you put back down the old floor after cutting through the tongue and groove? I am doing similar for my floor soon but replacing the chipboard.
There was no reason not to reuse them. The edges still are supported by the joists with sufficient board to accommodate the screws.
Great video and you have given me the confidence to tackle this myself (not for creaks but for some sagging chipboard which i want level for tiling. p.s Did you screw the boards down back into the original holes or were the holes ones you had pilot drilled and countersunk? If the former that seems like a bad idea vs screwing in to fresh board.
Hi Doug, thanks for the kind comment. I drilled new pilot holes and countersunk them so I screwed into fresh timber.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK On the topic of replacing rather than re-using the chipboard, I have measured the board to see if it was 18 or 22, and i seem to be measuring ~20mm annoyingly! Any thoughts? I have seen a few DIY Forums which mention it. House is in UK and built around mid 80's. Need to try to find some similar as packing out 2mm seems like a faf and prone to other problems.
@dougjinks2694 I unsure what thickness boards you have. Are you saying they are 20mm and you can only buy 18mm, which is why they would need 2mm packers? If your boards are sagging, can you either turn them over or screw and glue a board, say 12mm ply to the underside to strengthen them,
What a fantastic informative video. My flooring upstairs is really bad in both bedrooms and stairs are too! That house looks the same as ours too!. Very poor houses for noisey flooring.😊⭐👍
Thanks for your kind comment. I hope you can sort your floors. It's not easy and success is not guaranteed. Please subscribe if you've not already. Thank you.
Hi, once you remove the carpet and underlay then you will see the existing pattern of screws...if you drilled new screws adjacent to each of the old screws, maybe offset by 1cm, wouldn't that be a quick fix rather than removing all the floorboards? (The logic being that the existing screws are perfectly placed already)
My floor is nailed, not screwed but I guess your way would work, but you would be taking a chance on not hitting a pipe or cable! Lifting the floor gives sight of what's underneath.
I tried this, it didn't work. It's the unsupported edges of the panels (between the joists) that are making all the noise, hence the need for the noggins. I'll be following Johns method. I was also impressed with the track saw, could you post what make it is please?
I had limited success, eliminated most of the squeaks, but yes, I think the joins are were the main problem area lies. I used a pvc water mixture to help seal the existing noggins. I guess I achieved around 75% elimination without lifting the boards.
very useful video for many I suspect -
is that foaming glue 'Gorilla' glue - if so does it need a water spray to activate it
Yes Chris it's Gorilla glue and it does need water to activate it although if the humidity is high there is probably no need to dampen one surface. I wiped one surface with a damp rag before applying the glue as shown in the video.
I made the exact same comments about T&G fixes (through carpets and in other videos).
T&G chipboard, awful stuff! Our house suffers from it too, in fact very few fitted with such are quiet, in my experience. The trade fitting T&G chipboard, should, by now, (our house is 31yrs old) know how to affix the stuff well, for the sake of longevity!?
The chipboard should be fine if properly glued. Yes indeed the trade should know better. Well I imagine some do but time is money on new builds! Doing a proper job seems to go out of the window!
Hi John, amen to that, the knack is knowing the materials and doing the best job possible. Our current house is 30/31yrs old and built just as recession struck. Wish I knew the floorboards would get like this the last time that the carpets were up. Oh well at least I know how to fix em now. Thanks again.
why do you use nails for the chipboard and not use screws ?
Builders have always used nails, presumably for speed and cost. The nails are serrated so grip the wood fibres well. Screws might not tighten the chipboard down tight to a joist if they are threaded the entire length. Drilling a suitable pilot hole in the chipboard overcomes this. Another reason to used nails which by and large are satisfactory. The boards should be glued as well.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK ok
So, do you have an video or something about subfloor and the wood placements on a concrete floor (need new floor in an apartment block) and make it so it doesnt squeak? Currently its just horrible sounds whereever you walk
@@prospect2664 no I'm sorry I don't and I don't have any knowledge of this type of problem.
4:07 would that movement breakdown the bonding strength of that board and eventually breakthrough? (basically fall apart going back to its original form)
No I don't think the board would break. It runs under the stud wall and I was applying a lot of pressure to make it flex. Having made the cut near the wall it might break if you jumped up and down on it, unlikely, and that's why I added a noggin.
Good work, proper job 👍
Thank you, very kind.
Great job
Thank you.
It drives me nuts those squeaky boards.Someone has added extra screws but did not help.I assume it is boards themselves .Whoever builds new blocks with wooden floors is crazy.
Flat I live in has almost all rooms with squaky boards.
I feel your pain! The squeaks may be coming from the joists if they have shrunk. This type of floor is supposed to be glued and nailed but often a builder won't bother to glue them!
I've done a similar job myself recently. Chipboard flooring should be glued to the joists as well. Just hope it never has to come up again!
Yes it should be glued to joists, which is what I did with a couple of exceptions.
Good video. I've never understood why those floorboards need to be 'tongue & groove'??! (why do they need to slot into each other? Surely gravity and screws is enough to hold them in place!
Thanks for your comment. I imagine the tongue and groove are supposed to make the floor more "solid" but I'm not sure that works! Keeps the dust out though.
Weak material relies on interlocking for support/load-spreading at edges remote from joists
You got lucky usually nowadays the chip board is well glued down to joists and is a big job getting it up and chiselling. Keep the lid on that PU glue it will all go hard with the air getting to it
Yes perhaps I was lucky. I did have the top on the glue when I wasn't using it, yet it still hardened!
If you were doing an entire floor, could you just relay an entire floor on top of it?
You could lay a new floor on top but I don't see the point. I think it will still squeak. Best to cure the problem and not cover it up.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK much appreciated, thank you. Moving into a property and they are squeeking everywhere, but the joists are those stupid lightweight hollow ones, rather than proper solid ones that I can easily add additional ones.
Joist spacing is too wide and noggins too small. Also a lack of glue in the original install wouldn't help. Noggins every 400-600 would sort it out.
Joist and noggins spacings are correct and the usual. Glue would have helped as I mentioned. The problem seems to lie under the party walls where I suspect timbers have dried and shrunk a little.
Hi great video do you come out to London to do a big house? Can you contact me please
Hello Chloe, thanks for your kind comment. Unfortunately I've retired and just do jobs for family and myself so I'm unable to help you. Sorry about that. Regards, John.
Thanks for subscribing, very much appreciated.
Chipboard is a really poor material to use on UK houses, as is the dot and dab practically cardboard walls, new build houses are built with rubbish by often poorly trained tradesman then sold for half a million and the developers laugh all the way to the bank.
I'm certainly not a fan of chipboard but it has it's uses and flooring is probably the best use.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK ......I do this for people, but replace the uplifted chipboard with ply, as it`s susceptible to damp issues.
Sounds like the house I bought😢
Wonderful video, thank you!
Thank you that's very kind.
How much would it cost for that job john?
It took me a good couple of days so around £400 I'd imagine. I did this for a family member so didn't charge!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK thanks john , any chance of you moving to ireland and marrying my sister 😉
@@neilohara6227 Anything is possible, I'm single and available! Is she lovely?
hello, where you based out of?
Hello, I am in West Sussex but retired now.
Hi , where are u based ?
Hi Mariusz, I'm in the UK. Thanks for subscribing.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK where about in the U.K.?
Great advise and job well done 👏 for future it might be worth getting a nail puller, screwfix has one 6138k around £15 it done all my floor boards de nailed ready for screws without fathing around with removing material with chisels etc.
The squeaks were driving us nuts but for some wierd reason the source of the problem was manly the stud wall nail fixings in the floor joist causing a rising and lowering when walking
Thanks Tom for the kind words and tip. Somewhere I've got a pair of very old Carpenter's Pincers. They must be the traditional nail puller I think as they have been around for decades. Only £4 in Wilkinsons these days. I agree the squeaks seem to be mainly from under stud walls so impossible to eliminate. I suspect that timber joists in modern houses shrink too much and that makes things worse.
How did you fix that?
I'm no expert but if I was going to the trouble of lifting chipboard I would refit proper floorboards.
I'm not sure that proper floorboards would help especially where the flooring goes under a stud wall and can't be lifted, but no harm in trying.
@@JohnTheHandymanUK As I say I am no expert, but do have the same problem in a master bedroom added to an existing house that has floorboards. The rest of the house is quiet, the chipboard floors noisy.
@@paulsanderson8656 Sounds like it's worth trying floorboards then. I'm no expert either. This type of problem can be very difficult to solve.
Hello John,am based in the Uk ,how can I contact you pls
You can contact me by email at johnthehandymanuk@gmail.com
Thanks,I have sent you an email,pls check
Awesome job!!!
Thank you, that's very kind.
THANK YOU GREAT VIDEO.
I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks.
brilliant!
Thank you.
Most times you can just use a screw next to the installed nail.
Yes worth a try as long as you are confident of not hitting a pipe or cable.
Great minds think alike.
Screw has to go next to nail across the joist, not in line with it.
Wow you make that look so easy, my house is around 25 years old with this chip board flooring and it squeaks like crazy. Where abouts are you based?
Thanks for your comment. It wasn't too difficult just very time consuming. I'm in West Sussex but retired now.
It seems to me that this is another reason not to buy a new house if you can (poor quality build, poor quality materials and almost always poor quality design). Who built this house - you need to name and shame!
Why put the nasty ugly carpet back down ?
Because the homeowners didn't want to replace it just yet. It wasn't too bad; it was just the edges looking grubby.
Can you come and fix mine please
Sadly, I can't.
Where’s the insulation?
In the loft!
@@JohnTheHandymanUK stick some in between the floors to dampen above floor noise and keep the house abit warmer
@@ThomasColeman You don't pack floors with insulation, especially if there are electric cables runnng through them as this raises the thermal properties of the cables. Ask any decent electrician!
@@jayseabie215 what tosh!
@@flippysit u probably are.
Nooice!
any contact details??
The best way to stop a squeaky chipboard floor?.........rip it all up, throw away and put proper floorboards down
That's one solution, rather drastic and expensive, but I doubt it would stop the creaking where the boards go under stud walls. :)
@@JohnTheHandymanUK we tried everything with ours and nothing worked. In the end we had to evacuate upstairs, took out all the partition walls and put proper floorboards down, it was an horrendous job to do. It has cured the problem but didn’t come cheap....
@@davidmoody3810 Oh my goodness, sorry to hear that you had to take such drastic action. It's great you got it sorted though.
That’s not easy to find stud. My room covered carpet.
That's why we take the carpet up! Then we know where the joists are.
Those carpets need a shampoo!
the chipboard looks horrible, rlooks like a small area , why not remove it all and put in 5/8 plywood , screw that down , bulletproof for years
As chipboard goes it's par for the course. I did remove about half The floor, the areas that were squeaky. Replacing with anything else probably won't help. Stopping the movement in the boards and joists is the aim. The remaining squeaks are where boards run under stud walls and I wasn't going to remove them! It's very difficult to cure this problem.
Finally sorted this out in my house after years and hours of trying to figure it out.
In the end I cut a square in the plasterboard and found a bloody great nail that some lazy arse had left 2 inches proud instead of banging it home 30 years ago. Won’t budge now of course.
The solution? Sprayed WD40 into the gap to lubricator the nail as the joist moved up and down.
Silence.
Don’t know how long it will last, but these dodgy builders need shooting.
I personally would of replaced all the chipboard sheets with traditional floor boards. Much easier and better result
I doubt it would be easier. You still have to lift the chipboard but then have to cut the replacements floor boards to size and unless you take down adjoining stud walls you won't be able to remove the chipboard around the edges.
Ure making it worse
Looks a big job and needing lots of tools I don’t have ! 🥲
Great video though! 😂
It was very time consuming but not too difficult really. Pleased you liked the video.
Great job
Thank you. I'm pleased you liked it.