Squeaky hardwood floor repair

Almost never. Where there is access from below through a basement or crawlspace, we can fix the connection without touching the finished floor at all. Where there is not, there are discreet from-above methods that address the fastener through the flooring with a very small, repairable point of entry. Lifting a hardwood floor to stop a squeak is a last resort, not a starting point.

No. A squeak that comes and goes with the heating season is normal wood behaviour rather than a defect. Hardwood gives up moisture when indoor air dries out during the heating season and shrinks slightly, which loosens the fasteners holding it. It is still worth fixing, because the seasonal cycle gradually makes the movement worse rather than better.

No, and the difference matters. Solid hardwood is usually blind-nailed through the tongue, so squeaks concentrate at the fastener. Engineered hardwood is frequently floated or glued down, so the noise more often comes from a separated seam or from the subfloor beneath rather than from the flooring layer itself. We establish which you have before recommending anything.

Steady humidity, as close to your flooring maker’s figure as your windows allow. Each manufacturer states its own range; one Canadian maker’s installation guide asks for relative humidity around 45 per cent at all times (Mirage installation guide). In a cold snap a house may not hold that much: the National Research Council’s digest on humidity in Canadian buildings explains that low outdoor temperatures cause condensation on windows, which sets a practical ceiling. So run a humidifier through the heating season, check a hygrometer, and turn it down if the windows stream. Do not overshoot either, because Tarion’s guidelines note that too much humidity makes wood swell and causes its own squeaks.

No. They come from the same dry heating-season air, which is why they often show up together, but they are different movements. A squeak is a board moving up and down against a fastener or its neighbour, and refastening stops that. A gap is the board shrinking across its width, and fastening it down does not stop it shrinking. Gaps that close again in summer are normal and should be left unfilled. Steadier indoor humidity through the winter narrows them and slows the loosening that leads to new squeaks.

Slowly, yes. A board that is free to move is wearing against a fastener or against its neighbour every time it is walked on, which gradually enlarges the fastener hole and can wear the tongue and groove edge. It is not urgent, but a squeak generally gets worse rather than settling down on its own.