Can you repair squeaky floors? (Waldorf, Maryland)

[Leticia Otero]

Hello! We are ready to househack but unfortunately the hardwood floors squeak quite a bit and also you can hear clearly what is spoken upstairs in the basement apartment. Would someone please let me know which would be the best route to fix this issue? We went to the big box stores but they said they don't do this kind of job, they only sell the hardwood to replace the old one but they don't take care of the squeak or insulating to prevent the noise. I would really appreciate any leads to some contractors in the DMV area that have experience with these issues and can quote us a solution. Thanks!

[Harold Rutila]

I'm not a contractor, but I have this issue in my primary residence and have researched it quite extensively. As @Jack Seiden states above, the issue is with your subfloor. Jeff Thorman at HomeRenovisionDIY has a great video on YouTube about this and why it occurs.

In all likelihood, you are dealing with a nailed-in subfloor that squeaked even before the new flooring went down. The fix involves removing baseboards and then removing your flooring to expose the subfloor. You would then need to identify and screw down loose subfloor boards, possibly replace some if you find any damaged, and then reinstall the flooring. Some types of flooring are easier to reinstall than others.

The sound deadening issue is a whole other animal. I'd again refer you to Jeff Thorman at HomeRenovisionDIY for a comprehensive review of different sound deadening options here. This will probably require insulation beneath the existing subfloor, so you could tackle that job first, then proceed to fix the subfloor squeaks afterward.

If you want to avoid doing these as DIY projects, your best bet would be to try and find a flooring contractor, or perhaps even a handyman, who would be willing to fix this problem. My experience is that a lot of these types of contractors, unfortunately, might not be interested in such a job, but call around and ask for referrals until you find someone who is.

I would also caution against installing new flooring over the existing wood flooring. This can be done with a softer surface over a harder surface, but I think you'd be asking for trouble by adding an additional layer without addressing the underlying problems. This is akin to siding contractors in my area who think it is acceptable to install vinyl siding over mid-20th century aluminum siding, and then wonder why they get call backs when it starts to fall apart. Strip it down and start over.