Mr Skill

Creaking and squeaking floorboards are not a problem confined to older buildings but can happen in modern homes as well. Carpenters in London working on newer properties will have tended to construct floors using larger sheets of chipboard rather than floorboards, and both systems of flooring can work loose over a period of time – particularly when they have been lifted and replaced for services such as central heating or electrical cabling.

Temporary fixes, such as putting talcum powder between the joints in the floor may make the problem go away for a while, but a permanent solution is always the best option. If you have creaking and squeaking floorboards in your house, it could be related to a number of problems, and it might be worth having a look to see if you can fix the problem yourself, before turning to the services of a London carpenter.

If the creaking has not been going on for very long, it may be because one or two of the nails in the flooring have come loose and are rubbing against the wood, or allowing the wood to rub against the adjacent board. If the heads of the nails are slightly raised above the level of the wood, it is a simple job to hammer them back into place although, for a more secure solution, it might be better to replace these with screws of the same size. Screws any longer than the nails you have removed may puncture a pipe or damage an electric cable – at best a mop and repair job, at worst a possible fatality!

In cases where the floor joists have settled – creating a gap between the top of the joist and the floorboard or chipboard – the nail may now not be long enough to securely bind the floorboard to the joist. You will have to remove the existing nail and checking carefully to ensure that there are no pipes or cables beneath the floorboard, insert a longer screw into the existing hole. When checking for pipes and cables, you may need the assistance of a local handyman in London to help you lift large areas of chipboard and replace them securely.

If removing nails and replacing them with screws does not solve the problem, you may be looking at more serious issues. Where plasterboard walls have been constructed on an existing floor, the bottom of the wall should be secured to the floor into a joist or purpose made “noggin”. If the soleplate of the wall has been simply nailed into a floorboard which has subsequently worn loose, this could also be the cause of the squeaking. This issue would be evident by gaps appearing between the underside of the skirting and the floor, and can be remedied by inserting a narrow wedge into the gap rather than having a London carpenter rip up half your floor and construct noggins beneath the wall.

The most difficult job to fix is when the reason for the creaking floor is that the joists are simply not strong enough to handle the weight of the floor, or are undersized and not properly supported. This will involve having a local carpenter lay new joists or strengthen the existing ones and is a major job that it is important to have done as soon as it is noticed.

Fixing creaking floors may often require the professional services of a carpenter in London, and thanks to Mr Skill´s Tradesmen´s Directory, there are plenty in your local area from which to choose. To obtain a selection of carpenting quotes, please use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page, and our selection of carpenters in London will be happy to provide details of the services they can offer to help repair creaking and squeaking floorboards.