Most people think squeaky wood floors are just something you have to live with. If your home has a few creaky spots, you probably know exactly where they are. Those boards that announce every step you take. But here’s the thing: squeaky wood floors can be fixed. And it doesn’t always require tearing the floor apart or replacing anything.
Why Wood Floors Squeak
Wood floors squeak because there’s movement somewhere in the layers between the floorboards, the subfloor, and the joists underneath. Over time, houses settle, nails loosen, and wood naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Even a small gap can cause that telltale squeak when two pieces rub together.
In older homes, especially, you can count on a few noisy spots showing up. But with the right tools and a little patience, we can silence those sounds.
How I Fix Squeaky Wood Floors
Recently, I helped a massage therapist whose workroom had squeaky hardwood floors. If you can imagine, that’s not exactly the sound you want during a massage. The room itself was beautiful, but the constant creaking ruined the calm.
The first step was to walk the floor and mark every spot that made noise. Sometimes a gap has developed over time between the subfloor and the floor joist. This gap closes when it gets walked on, and any nail in the vicinity will squeak as it moves in and out of the hole it was previously secured in. Once the squeaks are located, I used a deep stud finder (2” depth) to locate each joist.
Knowing the joist location, I then bounce on the squeaky area to locate about where the squeak is coming from and insert a Squeaky Screw in that area over the joist. The teeth of the screw bite into the joist and the subfloor, keeping the gap from closing when it gets walked on and keeping the nail from squeaking in its hole.
The Right Tools for the Job
For this kind of repair, I use special screws designed just for squeaky wood floors, called the Squeaky Floor repair kit. They’re unique because they break off just below the surface. It is designed to break ¼” below the finished surface, so the screw is hidden and future sandings won’t sand into the screws.
Before putting a screw into the floor, I pre-drill each hole, and then after inserting the screw and having it snap off, the ⅛” hole is then filled with color-matched putty. While the filled holes are not completely invisible, the lack of squeaking is very noticeable. With over 200 screws hidden underfoot, the floor looks relatively untouched, and best of all, it’s quiet.
Lessons Learned Along the Way
I’ve fixed plenty of squeaky wood floors before, but every job teaches me something new. This one reminded me how important it is to take your time locating the problem spots accurately. Sometimes I’ll even use a small metal detector and stethoscope to find the unseen nail, which helps me avoid drilling in the wrong place.
There’s something satisfying about solving a problem like this. It’s not flashy work, but it’s honest and rewarding—especially when the client’s reaction says it all. In this case, the massage therapist was thrilled. For her, the silence meant she could finally focus on her work without distraction
You Don’t Have to Live With Squeaky Wood Floors
Squeaky floors are one of those things homeowners tend to accept as normal. But they don’t have to be. Whether it’s a simple fix from above or something that requires a bit more detective work from below, there’s almost always a solution.
For me, it’s never just about stopping a noise. It’s about understanding why it’s happening and finding the best way to make it right. That’s part of what I love about working with wood: it always has a story to tell, and every squeak is just another lesson in how to listen better.
I recently wrote about fixing white line syndrome in a wood floor. Learn more about it here.
Over the years, my hardwood floors have won awards. You can view the latest one here.
