Wall-to-wall carpet--should I take the plunge?

August 22, 2008 2:53 AM

Coping with a squeaky floor overhead. Will a thick carpet on the floor solve the problem?

My wife, who occupies the home office above mine, is diligent about keeping her footfalls to a low volume. Even so, since the floor is wooden (wideboard pine), I hear the boards squeak as she crosses the floor (it's new construction).

We've laid a few low-pile throw rugs on the floor, but these seem to be ineffective. So I'm thinking of taking the plunge and covering the floor with a wall-to-wall, thick-pile carpet and mat.

Will this work at removing a large share of the squeaks? And if so, what type of carpet and mat should I buy?

I'm not a big fan of wall-to-wall carpet on wooden floors, so obviously, I want to make the best decision from the outset.

posted by Gordion Knott to home & garden (12 comments total)

A carpet MIGHT work. But what is causing the squeaking in the first place? In my experience, it's usually loose floorboards. You can nail in extra nails to cure this BUT....be VERY careful where you put the nails. There are often pipes & wires under floorboards and you don't want to be nailing through them!

I speak from personal experience. As we were waiting for the carpet fitters to arrive, I just thought I'd cure a few squeaky floorboards. Suddenly, an emergency plumber was necessary and lots of old towels!

Good luck!
posted by JtJ at 3:03 AM on August 22, 2008

The carpet probably won't do much, never has for me anyway. I second the suggestion of extra nails.
posted by Harald74 at 3:30 AM on August 22, 2008

Carpet will do little to stop the squeak; it might make it less audible in the office, but won't have much effect downstairs.

If you choose to nail down the squeaky floorboards (and I would agree that this is the usual way to deal with this), then I'd advise the following:

1. Invest in one of those little electronic wire/pipe/joist detectors to reassure yourself that you're not going to be driving nails into anything you shouldn't. The detectors are quite cheap and easy to use. When you use one, adjust it so that it gives a reading when you position it over a known cable or pipe, then you'll know it's working.

2. Make sure you're nailing into a joist. You can work out where these are either using the aforementioned detector, or by looking at the current pattern of nails. A floorboard shouldn't end anywhere but on a joist, but where boards have been removed and replaced by plumbers or electricians, you never know; some advice here on that situation.

3. Nails driven in straight down are often the reason why floorboards come loose. Either drive the nails in at a slight angle (opposing angles when using two nails) or consider a 2" screw with a pre-drilled hole instead - a screw will provide a better grip than most nails and won't pull loose. Of course, in an exposed wooden floor, a screw won't look as nice.

4. If you notice a particularly warped or damaged board, consider prying it up and inspecting for damage caused by damp or insects.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 3:49 AM on August 22, 2008

A little clarification here.

What I described, awkwardly, as "squeaks," are more of a sharp clumping noise as the feet hit the floor.

The floorboards are secure, having been installed a year ago.

So it's best to think of my problem as involving high-pitched, clunking footfalls (even though this is contradicted by my first explanation).

My bad.
posted by Gordion Knott at 4:37 AM on August 22, 2008

If they were really secure, there would be no sound at all.

The problem is, the people who installed the floorboards made the same mistake that everyone here is making: they're all talking about nails, when you should have used screws. Yes, it's a bit more effort, but a screwed-down floor doesn't squeak. Ever.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:51 AM on August 22, 2008

Yes- screws are what you want. They make screws for this purpose that have break off heads. Screw it down, pop off the head and then you have an invisible solution.

(It's not a floating floor, is it? Those things are unsatisfyingly noisy.)
posted by gjc at 4:58 AM on August 22, 2008

wear socks instead? :D
posted by freddymetz at 4:59 AM on August 22, 2008

If the noise is caused by the ends of the boards rubbing against each other then you could try brushing some chalk dust / talcum powder into the gaps between the ends.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:06 AM on August 22, 2008

If your wife isn't as bothered by noise as you are, could you not swap offices?
posted by highrise at 5:15 AM on August 22, 2008

Rather than complete wall to wall, I'd go out and buy a piece of carpet trimmed and edged so it fits in the room, or the parts of the room where the walking takes place, and a good quality piece of carpet padding underneath it. This really should stop the problem of audible footfalls if they're just thumps caused by feet hitting the floor. If it doesn't, then you really do have a problem with loose boards -- which will entail the types of fixes mentioned above. But at least this way, to get at the boards, you can just roll up the carpet instead of ripping it back off the floor.
posted by beagle at 5:28 AM on August 22, 2008

Gordion Knott: "What I described, awkwardly, as "squeaks," are more of a sharp clumping noise as the feet hit the floor."

"Hey, honey, do you think you could walk on your toes instead of your heels when I'm working downstairs? Thanks."
posted by Plutor at 9:25 AM on August 22, 2008

I was going to suggest a failsafe solution to squeaking floorboards (or squeaking drawers, wooden beds and indeed any "wood on wood" squeaks) until I saw your clarification.

If it's actually footfalls you are trying to muffle, then a high density flooring foam covered by a carpet is the best option. Alternatively, and not as expensive, you could simply go for a rug or a runner.


With regards to squeak solution, I might as well post it here anyway. Believe it or not, if you sprinkle a little talcum powder between the floorboards, or offending "wood on wood" joints, this will stop the squeaking. It also helps old wooden drawers open/close more smoothly, stops beds squeaking etc. Works like a dream, and probably the only "handy hint" from a TV show I've ever actually used. Who would have those crappy home improvement shows sometimes actually have content that's actually useful?! :)
posted by Mephisto at 5:07 PM on August 22, 2008