In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to repair a squeaky floor through a carpet.
How Do You Fix a Squeaky Floor Under Carpet?
- Use a hammer to locate a floor joist within the squeaky section of the floor.
- Tap the carpeted floor with the hammer and listen for a dull thud, indicating a joist below.
- Chuck the joist-finding screw into the drill/driver.
- Drill a hole through carpeting and subfloor and into the joist; if you miss the joist, move over a couple of inches and try again.
- Once you find a floor joist, measure over 16 inches and locate the next joist.
- Press the tripod-shaped alignment and depth control fixture firmly into the carpet directly over the joist.
- Use the drill/driver to drive a scored screw down through the center of the fixture until the screw bottoms out.
- Drive screws into all the joists within the squeaky section at both ends of the room.
- Run taut strings from screw head to screw head across the room, indicating the joists below.
- Using the alignment and depth control fixture, drive scored screws along the strings spaced 8 inches apart.
- Hook the screw gripper on the fixture onto each protruding screw, then rock the fixture back and forth to snap off the screw head.
Next Step: All About Wall-to-Wall Carpeting
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