You get home from work one day, tired and cranky, and take off your shoes before crossing your hardwood floor to the kitchen. And then you hear it. The dreaded squeak. How could this have happened? The floor wasn’t squeaking a day ago. Here are some possible causes.
It might have been poorly installed
Whether you installed the floor yourself or hired a contractor, it’s easy to make mistakes when installing hardwood floors. One of the most common mistakes is not preparing for installation properly. If the subfloor wasn’t level when you installed the hardwood floor, there could be gaps between the subfloor and the main floor. Another common mistake is not using enough fasteners or not placing them properly. this can also cause gapping between the main and subfloor, which of course causes squeaking.
The planks might be low quality
If you didn’t purchase your hardwood floor from JAS certified PurezaWood, then you may have low quality planks. If the planks are low quality, they’re more likely to warp, causing gaps between them and the subfloor, which of course causes the squeaking noise when you step on it.
The nails could be loose
Over time, the nails used to secure the hardwood floor planks can begin to loosen. This can make the floor boards loosen as well, causing gaps and squeaks. If this is why your floor is squeaking, though, there’s a relatively quick fix. All you have to do is hammer the nails back into place.
There might be changes in temperature/humidity
Hardwood is naturally porous and thus more susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity. Solid hardwood flooring is especially sensitive to this. The cupping caused by these atmospheric changes is usually temporary and dependent on the time of day. However, if this bothers you, we recommend installing engineered hardwood flooring, because it is designed to resist cupping from temperature and humidity changes.
Hardwood can naturally warp with age
No matter what type of hardwood floor you install or how well you install it, hardwood can naturally warp with age. There are ways to fix this, but it may also signify that it’s time to replace your hardwood floors.
At the end of the day, hardwood flooring is a natural product that can change with age, causing cupping and squeaks. There are ways to slow this process, like buying only high quality luxury hardwood floors or having them installed by a professional, but it may simply be time to either replace your floors or embrace their squeaky charm.
