Squeaky subfloor repair

Usually by where and how the noise behaves. A subfloor squeak tends to follow a line rather than a single point, often runs perpendicular to the joists, and frequently comes with a slight sense of movement underfoot. A flooring squeak is more localised and does not usually move with you. We confirm it on site rather than guessing, because the two need different repairs.

Glue plus screws does a substantially better job than nails alone, because it fills the small gaps where a panel does not sit perfectly flat on a joist and stops the two surfaces working against each other. It is worth being accurate though: adhesive is standard construction practice rather than an Ontario Building Code requirement, so a newer home is not automatically squeak-free.

In most cases, yes, and it is the preferred approach. Where the joists are reachable from a basement or crawlspace, we work from below and the finished floor is never touched. Where they are not, there are from-above methods that go through the flooring at a very small, repairable point. Removing flooring is reserved for genuine panel damage.

It is related but more significant, and worth having looked at. A squeak is a connection issue; a springy or soft area suggests the panel or the joist beneath it is not providing the support it should, whether from damage, moisture, or a span that was marginal to begin with. We will tell you honestly which of the two you have.

It affects the method more than the outcome. Plank subfloor in older houses is usually diagonal boards nailed to sawn joists, and each board is fastened separately. Plywood and oriented strand board are sheet goods, so a single panel spans several joists and one bad bearing point can produce noise across a wider area. We identify which you have before deciding how to fasten it.