DIY Network

Creaky Floors and Stairs DIY's Finders Fixers team comes to the rescue of a couple with unstable stairs and a creaky floor in their bedroom. From "Finders Fixers" episode DFFX-204

Rick Yeager, one of DIY's Finders Fixers home inspectors, first tackles the creaky bedroom floor problem, and then he takes on stairs that aren't too secure.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	This discovered "hump" is the culprit of the creaking floor.
	Figure C

Creaky Floors

Materials:

circular saw
ring-shank nails
hammer
wood Glue

1. Remove all furniture from the room. The carpet needs to be pulled up so everything must be out of the way.

2. Pull up the carpet (figure A) and the subfloor to expose the area where the squeak is located.

   Note:A squeaking noise is often the result of friction between two boards. This can be easily fixed by creating a kerf — or gap (figure B). To create this gap between the sheets of plywood use a circular saw. Cut only to the depth of the plywood.

3. Once you've created the gap that allows the boards to move independently from each other, properly secure them in place. You should be right over the floor joist and the nail should go in at an angle. This is called toenailing (figure C). If you go in straight, the plywood can ride up and down the nail.

4. If you come across a board that has not been properly nailed down, first remove the existing nails. Use the same toenailing technique to re-nail the boards down.

5. Once all the boards have been properly secured, the sub-floor can be replaced. Use glue to seal between the sub floor and the joists. Apply wood glue to the top of the joists in a serpentine motion and replace the plywood.

6. Once all squeaks and creeks have been silenced, replace the carpet.

	Figure D
	Figure E

Creaky Stairs

Materials:

1/4" lag bolt
drill with 1/8" drill bit
socket wrench
wood putty
paint

1. To replace the missing bolt, first drill through the metal bracket (figure D). Make sure not to drill through the wood behind it.

2. If you attempt to drill the bolt straight through, there may be a chance of fracturing the wood. Drill a pilot hole first to avoid this problem. When choosing the site of the new pilot hole, make sure that it's not to close to the old pilot hole. When choosing a drill bit, use a half size smaller than the bolt. In this case, use 1/8". Drill a hole no more than the depth of the bolt.

3. Drive a new 1/4" lag bolt into the new framing. Drive it in slowly to avoid the wood splitting. Don't tighten the bolt too much to avoid shearing off the head of the bolt. Use a socket wrench when working in this tight area (figure E).

4. Hide the old hole by filling it in with wood putty and paint over it.

	Figure F
	The stair railing is now safe.

Secure Safety Railing

Materials:

drill
6" lag screws
rafter angle square

1. Drill into the stair stinger at a site where the wood isn't cracked and still has some integrity to it. Use a rafter angle square (figure F) to drill at a perfect 90 degree angle.

2. Insert the lag screws and cinch down tightly.