How to Fix Noisy Laminate Squeaky Floors

Laminate squeaky floors are usually not that difficult to fix. There are many homes, old and new, that tend to experience this at some point. A lot of times, noisy laminate floors are due to the house still trying to settle, or their sub-floor wood drying out. The flooring has a tendency to shrink after installation. A squeaky laminate floor is usually a good indication that the floor boards have come loose from their nails or from glue in certain spots. This means the floor is not secured firmly, and the boards are moving against each other, whenever weight is applied to them. You can tighten the boards down to secure them, which is one way of stopping the squeaking. There are also other methods that you can try to stop the laminate floors from squeaking, but they will involve you having to go up under the floor and into the basement. We will try the steps from above the floor. The tools needed to perform this job are listed below.

Step 1 – Find the Squeaky Spots

Walk across the floor to see what parts of the floor are squeaking. Use your chalk to mark these spots every time you hear it. Even a little squeaky noise could become worse later, so mark those as well.

Step 2 – Drill the Pilot Holes

Put a drill bit into your power drill. Go to all of the spots you have marked with chalk, and drill pilot holes at each one. You do not want to drill holes in any seams, but rather drill on either side of the seams.

Step 3 – Insert the Screws

Take out the pilot drill bit, and place a screwdriver drill bit into the power drill. Drill a galvanized wood screw into each of the pilot holes you previously drilled. Be sure to drill the screws all the way down completely in the hole, so that the screw heads are just a little beneath the surface of the wood. Cover the screw heads with the wax-type putty. Force it in as deep as it will go, allowing it to rise a bit above the floor surface. This can be cut off using the tip of a putty knife. Use a cloth to buff the putty, removing excess and blending it in with the rest of the floor.

Step 4 – Alternate Fix

If you do not have time to complete the above steps, there is an alternate fix. You can also eliminate the squeaky noise in your laminate flooring by alternating the furniture around in that room. You can move the furniture or rearrange it. Place the leg of a heavy piece of furniture on the squeaky area. The area will not be stepped on to make any more squeaky noises. The furniture weight will also put pressure on the floorboards, which will eliminate them rubbing together.