DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

hi , i have loads of squeaking t&g joints between the joists,,,my question is what is the best way to,,, i think the description is bridge the joint,,,cant lift entire sheets of flooring as they are under walls etc,,, cut out a section at right angle to joint then slip piece if timber under the joint then screw from above?? any answers would be appreciated ,,cheers

Bob

What is likely to have happened is your floor joists have shrunk since they were installed and whilst the flooring nails were originally tight they will, as a result of timber shrinkage, now be slack and there can be movement of the boards up and down the nail shanks.
The quick fix is to go round the floor driving in the nails with a nail punch.
This will only work if the boards have been fitted properly with annular ringed nails (ones with jaggered shanks) The boards should have been laid at right angles to the floor joists with four nails per joist - You'll be lucky if you have that amount! Also the t & g end joints should be located over a joist - once again this might be a problem.
If having done this you can walk around without the joints creaking - Job done!
A better solution is to buy sufficient screws (50mm) drill and countersink clearance holes along each joist line through the board only (4 screws per joist) and then screw through into the joist ensuring the screws pull the board down tight onto the joist) (Make sure you don't hit any pipes or cables notched into the joists. At the same time drive home any nails to avoid their protruding heads attacking carpet underlay.
If the end joints are not supported by a joist or noggins I can only suggest you set your plunge circular saw blade to cut a slot 8mm deep along the line of the joint and after cleaning out any chippings force a bead of Look no Nails or similar glue into the slot and leave to dry before further disturbance.
I hope this has been of some use.

thanks for reply ,,,,started on landing yesterday ,,,so far it wasnt the t&g ,,, it was what you said ,,,could have sworn it was the joints when standing on them and bouncing ,,hope other rooms are the same ,,,hassle cutting etc etc cheers

be very careful if putting 4 fixings per joist in, across the entire width of the board. buried pipes and cables sitting thru the joists are a likely to be present.

chris_on_tour2002 wrote:be very careful if putting 4 fixings per joist in, across the entire width of the board. buried pipes and cables sitting thru the joists are a likely to be present.

probably a daft question but what is the best way to find cables and pipes without lifting boards,,,cant assume where anything is these days lol,,, i have 3 electric sockets in each corner of room,,any idea how the cables would run?? and i have 1 wall radiator and another in ensuite,,my guess is the pipes would run parallel to the joists from room to ensuite ,,would they be free floating or attached to sides of joists either way pipes should be ok eh??,,,will wait to see if any advice,,,,,cheers

alas the only way to find out for sure is to lift the floorboards.

cables would normally pass through the joists via a hole drilled about halfway down the joists so that they are of sufficient depths to avoid nails and screws holding the floorboards down/ceilings up.

with regard to the pipes they may well be run parallel to the joists, i certainly fit pipes that way where possible, however sooner or later they will have to pass up and over a joist. normally though they will sit centrally under the floorboard so that the board can be fitted down on either side - don't rely on this though! i've seen enough abominations to never assume.

until x-ray specs become commercially available the only way to be sure of what lies beneath is to lift the boards. i'm personally not aware of any device that can detect pipes and cables running under the floor and i would not trust the commercially available detectors used for locating buried pipes and cables in walls. i find them fairly unreliable in almost all situations as they often give false readings.

chris_on_tour2002 wrote:alas the only way to find out for sure is to lift the floorboards.

cables would normally pass through the joists via a hole drilled about halfway down the joists so that they are of sufficient depths to avoid nails and screws holding the floorboards down/ceilings up.

with regard to the pipes they may well be run parallel to the joists, i certainly fit pipes that way where possible, however sooner or later they will have to pass up and over a joist. normally though they will sit centrally under the floorboard so that the board can be fitted down on either side - don't rely on this though! i've seen enough abominations to never assume.

until x-ray specs become commercially available the only way to be sure of what lies beneath is to lift the boards. i'm personally not aware of any device that can detect pipes and cables running under the floor and i would not trust the commercially available detectors used for locating buried pipes and cables in walls. i find them fairly unreliable in almost all situations as they often give false readings.

Best way i think is just screw right next to nail heads eh and cross fingers lol