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New flooring and squeak reductions

Darren Wright

Darren Wright

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Springfield, Missouri
New flooring was delivered this week, about 1860 sq ft total. These pics I took to show my wife what it looks like with all of the various trims, panels, and cabinets in the house. I had picked it out using some small stain pieces I too to the store with me, so wanted final sign off from SWMBO. As you can see, lighting does make a difference. The kitchen currently has fluorescent lights, but will be changing those over to LED with a bit warmer tone. Many of the led bulbs in the house are also in the 5000k to 6500k range, and I prefer the 2700k - 3000k range myself, so will update those as we change out fixtures.
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She gave the stamp of approval, so install has commenced.
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Before installing I walked the hall and ran 2” construction screws into the subfloor to eliminate any squeaks. I was still hearing several as I walked the hallway, but had already gotten most of the subfloor screwed. It then occurred to me that it may be the nails in the bottom plates of the walls making the squeaks.

Since the basement is unfinished. I went down and ran several screws up through the subfloor into the wall plates, sure enough it killed the rest of the squeaks. :woot:
 
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I was amazed at how involved selecting flooring can be. We picked three patterns only to find them no longer available (three different times) once we had decided. For squeaking floors I've also used white graphite like you use for sticky door/key mechanisms. Talc can also work but tends to "pump" up and mark clothing or pets.
 
Tell me about the little tool I see in some pictures? Is that for cutting the flooring?

Sharon and I went shopping for flooring last week, I'll probably be redoing a couple of rooms worth of floor this winter.
 
Brent Dowell said:
Tell me about the little tool I see in some pictures? Is that for cutting the flooring?

Sharon and I went shopping for flooring last week, I'll probably be redoing a couple of rooms worth of floor this winter.
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It’s a Marshaltown flooring cutter, the 9” version. I actually started a return for it because the bolts that hold the handle on weren’t fitting. They supplied two 5/16 bolts, but after some measuring the holes appeared to be 3/8. I confirmed by checking the threads with a 3/8 bolt I found. The following day I ran up to ace hardware and got two of the correct size with socket head caps. Sad that their quality control isn’t better for a USA company, but it’s well built otherwise.

It has saved a lot of time not having to get up/down to make the cuts. It is supposed to work with engineered laminates, but just using it on the vinyl plank is super easy to make cuts.

They sell a 13” version as well, link to both below.
 
Last bedroom room done for the east side of the house. I still need to pickup a wax ring and supply line to pull the hall toilet and put flooring where it sits.
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Next will be the living room carpet to go, then fix a few squeaks and taper the floor up to the kitchen, which is about an 8’ wide opening. It’s going up a layer of underlayment and two layers of linoleum. It’s a heavily used walkway, so I think it may be worth the extra taper to make it less noticeable.

I’m thinking of putting down some 3/16 and 1/8” thick underlayment stair stepped up along with the floor leveling compound to extend the transition out another foot or two, both in front, and to each side of the opening. Or maybe just that whole side of the room, which is 8’ to one side and 6’ on the other of the opening.
 
Got the toilet pulled, floor finished, toilet re-set with new supply line and new ring, put the shoe molding back on, and caulked along the bottom edge of the tub.
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The caulk was a sanded grout caulk, supposed to be "espresso" in color. The store sample was quite a dark brown, but in reality it was more gray, which actually matched the weathered gray look in the floor quite well.
 
When laminate flooring squeaks after installation in old houses, a small drill hole through the crack nearest the squeak and a hypodermic type syringe with Locktite Power Grab used to squirt some of the Power Grab down through the hole and out into the hollow cavity below the laminate, then a heavy weight (foot of heavy person) pressing down on the offending spot for a few minutes usually works well. I have applied wide blue tape over the hole before inserting the hypodermic tube so as to avoid any leakage of the glue getting out on the laminate surface. Peel it off after the weighting down step or an hour or so later. If you keep the hole small it won't be seen, but too small and too small a hypodermic syringe may be a problem. Power Grab is quite thick.

I have used screws driven up from below into 3/4"+ hardwood floors, but laminate and engineered flooring is just too thin to do it.

Charley
 
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