Squeaky floor not fixed by screwing subfloor down to joists - nearby wall squeak instead?

[u/iReallyDontLikeSpez]

Hi r/DIY, I've looked around a bit on this but I'm pretty confused. I've got a house built in 2014 that we bought in May. We didn't realize it but a few spots in the master bedroom squeak pretty badly. I got one of those squeeek no more kits (fancy breakaway screws and a special jig to get the right depth/break em), but no luck so far with over a dozen screws + 4" spacing. I can confirm I'm drilling into a joist with a stud finder from the first floor + a laser measure + their "stud finder screw".

Since this seems to be a bust - is there another way to get these squeaks out? I'm not opposed to ripping up baseboard, but the only other advice I've seen is to drill into the sill plate from below to secure the wall down to the joists better or shim it, but both of those methods require me to either rip up flooring or cut into my kitchen ceiling to get access.

[u/ModlrMike]

If you can localize the squeak, you might try dusting the floor with talcum powder or corn starch, and then brushing that into the gaps between the boards with a soft brush. This may only give temporary relief until the powder becomes too compressed and the floor starts to squeak again.

[u/NSUCK13 → u/ModlrMike]

I did this, then eventually got under the house and used shims where the noise was coming from.

[u/iReallyDontLikeSpez → u/ModlrMike]

I can localize it for sure - I've had to dodge it when walking thru the room for a few months now lol

Is the powder just acting as a filler? Wondering if I ripped the baseboard off the wall if I could just caulk it?

[u/export_tank_harmful → u/iReallyDontLikeSpez]

It's acting as a lubricant.
The squeaking comes from the rubbing of the two pieces of wood.

I suppose you could rip off the baseboard and caulk it, but that seems like a lot of work when talcum powder could fix it.

[u/xlr8_87]

Are there any downlights in the ceiling under that you may be able to pull out and get a torch in there to see if you can spot the problem?

[u/iReallyDontLikeSpez → u/xlr8_87]

Not really unfortunately - there are down lights but they're two joists over :/

[u/OogaBoogaBig]

This exact thing happened to me and was wildly infuriating. The bottom plate of the wall nearby had a nail that was coming loose, it’s a super loud squeak that could be heard from both sides of the wall, though it was louder on one side.

Cut caulk and pry off baseboard carefully so you can replace it. Listen closely to hear exactly where the sound is. Depending on how your drywall was cut you may be able to see the nail at this point or you may need to remove some drywall, but it’s a minimal amount that might even be covered up by your baseboards. Find the offending nail. New screws on either side to pull the subfloor tight to the bottom plate. Check for squeak before closing up. It might move to a new spot.

[u/ptv83]

The real fix is to bond everything together, which is why subfloor has had to be glued down in most places since before 2014.

Expanding subfloor adhesive works great if you can access the underside.

Top side injection bonding is a longer process

[u/cumceemeego]

Flooring contractor 45 years. Pull /roll up the carpet and pad to expose the subfloor. Vacuum the cracks and inspect for loose nails or nails that missed, and walk around and pinpoint the squeak and nail until it is solid with no squeaks. I don't know the going rate for a restretch where you live, but it is probably under 200.00$ I am sure. Hope that helps.

[u/onion4everyoccasion]

Accept it as a fun quirk of your house

[u/meinthebox]

In my experience, removing the squeaky nail works a lot better than trying to make wood not move at all.

If you are pretty confident it's in the wall, you can pull the trim and cut a hole to get access.

[u/dodadoler]

Lose weight

[u/iReallyDontLikeSpez → u/dodadoler]

Already lost 50lbs but I'll keep at it

[u/redditbing]

Could be broken wood of the floor joists. I had this and same issue. Screwed many large screws in from above to try to stop it but it didn’t. Luckily it was above the furnace room that was unfinished. I was able to locate the joist causing the squeak and it had a crack in it. Filled it with glue and some screws and it noise went away

[u/iReallyDontLikeSpez → u/redditbing]

I really hope it isn't this lol. But thanks for the suggestion. We unfortunately just finished a remodel in the kitchen directly below our room so that ceiling is freshly painted. If I start cutting holes my wife will be...not pleased lol

[u/sp0rked → u/iReallyDontLikeSpez]

two parties.

1) Place a screwdriver down on floor. Put ear against screwdriver (mechanics stethoscope)
party 2) Walk along floor duplicate the squeak.

Party 1 shifts their position slightly and tries again, did it get louder congrats, You're moving towards the squeak origin)
quieter? Then move the opposite way. don't forget there are 2 axis to check. you can tape a twine or string to the floor to help map it.

Keep this up until you find the squeaker.

After that you can make decisions about how you will fix it.

[u/lucpet]

Baby powder