How to prevent creaks & noises etc. in a period house upstairs bedroom ( read on ) ?

Question

i have an upstairs bedroom in a victorian/edwardian period house. i have carpet right now but i want wooden flooring or some sort of hard flooring(the white kind?). but i am not allowed because wooden floor will multiply the sounds of creeking. is there a solution to my wish? :P thanks

Answer 1

Livinx,

The creaking is caused by the subflooring.  It has pulled away from the floor joists in some places, probably because the nails have pulled away slightly.  The sounds can be from  several types of motion but the squeak is the wood pusing up and down slightly on the nails.  

I say all this because if you want to install hard wood flooring, this provides the opportunity to re-secure your entire flooring throughout the room, since you'll be putting down new material.  I would even remove the old material (whatever it may be) down to the sub-floor.  The subflooring should be re-secured using good graded wood screws.  They will resist pulling away like nails, especially in older homes.  

I would NOT put down hardwood flooring over carpet.  The last thing one wants is to have a "cushion" under a hard floor because this causes motion, and that will cause the wood to move; maybe even squeak!  

Just ensure whoever does the new flooring pays close attention to securing the subfloor and you'll be able to fullfill your wish.

good luck

Answer 2

It is possible to "float" a parquet (wood) floor over carpeting. If the subfloor is sound and level and the carpet is in good condition, this can give a very good result: you get a nice wood floor with a cushioning layer underneath that will provide some resilience, and will also provide some soundproofing to muffle footsteps and creaking.

Check a flooring provider. I've seen this type of parquet and it looks just like the "real" thing and is easy to install.  

Answer 3

Unfortunately, this is when the baseboard (the supporting plywood under your floor) lifts off from its supports.  Unless you open up your floor there's not much you can do about the "creaking".  If you don't want wall-to-wall carpet you may want to invest in good hallway and area rugs.