Flooring laid without joining boards on top of joists.

[filloz]

My Tas oak T&G flooring (1970 vintage) has been laid without joining the boards over a joist.This means that most joins are in mid air between joists,allowing movement and subsequent creaking.The floors are about to be carpeted.
Is there a way to minimize the movement and creaking from above.I have minimal underfloor space

[Wood Butcher]

Hi filloz and welcome,

With the ends of the boards you could glue and screw a board over the join from underneath, just not sure if that is possible due to your minimal underfloor space.

Apart from that, if you are going to carpet over the boards, cut the boards bcak to where the is a joist either side of the joins, then put another board in that spans the gap.

Hope that is a start!

[Gaza]

maybe pocket screw the joints from above.

[Biggles263]

May I suggest taking a router and routing out an area to accept some 2mm mild steel plate ( you will find an array of plate connectors at the hardware and/or you could make a plate with counter sunk holes to suit the individual board cover width) and then simply screw these to the boards. Bit time consuming but one option if you can't work from below.

[outback]

THe lsack of underfloor room is a real hassle. MAybe you could use it to your advantage. May I suggest cutting a realistic hole in the floorboards, then fill the cavity with concrete. That oughta take out the squeek.

[Tools]

Are you sure they aren't end matched boards????If they aren't then it would be best to put a noggin between joists at each join.

Tools

[glock40sw]

G'day.
Lay 12mm ply (or thinner) over the entire floor area. Glue (ultrsaet) and nail (many many nails) with a C bradder to the existing floor.
Make notes of where the bad squeaks are and use lots of nails in this location.
Then lay carpet over the top.

[filloz]

Thanks for your replies.The solution came to me in a flash of inspiration.I got some 8g x 20mm countersunk head screws and inserted them in the longitudinal join between 2 creaky floorboards.Worked perfectly,geez I'm good

[Ashore]

You can also try putting baby powder into the joints that are creaking , the silica in the powder acts as a dry lubricant and can stop the creaking


Rgds

[Rocker]

the silica in the powder acts as a dry lubricant and can stop the creaking


Rgds

Ashore,

Pedantically speaking, it is not silica that acts as a lubricant, but talc, which is a hydrous magnesium silicate.

Rocker

[Ashore]

Ashore,

Pedantically speaking, it is not silica that acts as a lubricant, but talc, which is a hydrous magnesium silicate.

Rocker

Faie enough