Silent Elegance: Top-Notch Squeaky Wood Floor Repair Services
Live in an old house with squeaky floorboards? Stairs or floors creak every time you walk through your home? Wish you use the staircase without waking everyone up?
If so, you’re not alone.
With the huge number of homes built around the turn of the 20th century, there are millions of creaking floorboards out there waking us up, alerting us to movement and generally irritating homeowners.
They may add a nice dramatic effect in movies, but the reality of creaking floorboards can be intensely annoying, especially if you live in a busy household.
But the good news is that you can fix squeaky floors.
While there are repair techniques you can do yourself to address those noisy floorboards, sometimes it’s easier to hire the professionals who can get to the root cause of the problem and ensure suitable prevention and preservation of your wood floors.
Mr Sander don’t just sand floors. We repair, replace and quieten them too!
If you want your creaking floorboards to fall silent for good, we’re the people to call.
With decades of experience working with wooden floors across the south of England, we have the skills and expertise to quieten your floors once and for all.
Mr Sander offers a wide range of services for your floors, including sanding, repairs, maintenance and more. You can contact our team to arrange your free site survey.
Why do wooden floors squeak?
Wooden floors squeak for a variety of reasons. Wood is a natural material that responds to its environment and moves over time.
This problem is usually caused by floorboards rubbing against each other for one reason or another.
These are the main reasons why wooden floorboards squeak:
Moisture – Wood expands and contracts depending on the amount of moisture in the wood and in the air. As wood expands, it pushes against the other floorboards and the nails or screws holding it into place. This can create tiny gaps or cause boards to rub against each other, which often results in creaking.
Heat and cold – Wood can also bow and change shape and density depending on the temperature of the surrounding environment. This change works similarly to moisture, allowing the wood to deform slightly around skirting, other floorboards and nails or screws.
Everyday use – Even the hardest of hardwoods will wear with constant use. That wear will compress the wood fibres, cause volume loss in the plank and allow movement around the nails or screws, which can cause creaking.
How to stop floorboards creaking
While we don’t want to give away all our secrets, we’re going to walk you through how to stop floorboards creaking.
No two floors, or fixes, are the same. We approach each squeaky floorboard on its own merits and will apply the best fix for the floor, the room and the construction.
When our team visits your property to fix squeaky floorboards, the process will likely look a little something like this:
Locate the source of the creak
Our first job is to find out exactly where the creaking is coming from. It may be one place, it may be many. We will meticulously check the condition of your wooden floor to try to identify all areas of movement.
We’ll mark everywhere we find a creak so we can go back and fix every single one.
Squeaky wood floor repair
How we fix creaking floorboards depends on what’s causing the noise and how the floor has been laid.
There are a few techniques that can be used, depending on the situation:
Floorboard shims
If there is play between the floorboard and the joist below, we can place a thin shim between the two to stop the movement. This may mean going into the basement or floor below or taking up the floorboard.
We’ll ‘dry place’ a shim under the board, reattach it and test. If the board stays in place and the squeaky floorboards are quietened, we’ll glue the shim into place and move on.
Shims can also be used if the creaking is caused by floorboards rubbing together. We can place a shim between the boards to keep them apart and stop the creaking.
Squeak ender
There are specialist products on the market, such as the Squeak-Ender, that are designed to work in the opposite way of a shim and instead pull the wooden floorboards together to stop friction and return any warped or bent floorboards back to their original shape.
Once back into shape, they should fit perfectly into place without rubbing up against other floorboards or the joist, quietening them down.
Sistering
If squeaking floors are caused by a warped or twisted joist rather than a wooden floorboard itself, sistering will normally fix it. We attach a piece of strong, healthy timber next to the damaged joist to help straighten it up, hold it securely into place and provide a stable platform for the floorboards.
It’s a more in-depth fix for squeaky floorboards but it’s very effective. It gives joists a longer life and helps keep floors level as well as quiet, without the risk of damaging the overall structure.
Structural fixes
If those techniques don’t quieten your floorboards, we can provide more lateral rigidity to your floor joists. This prevents any movement within the joist which can allow floorboards to move, and therefore, creak.
This can be as simple as small pieces of timber between joists to fix them into place.
Other fixes for creaking floorboards
Those fixes above will address the most common causes of squeaky floorboards. They aren’t our only options though.
Squeaky wood floor repair can also include:
Powdered graphite – Use powdered graphite where boards move to reduce friction. This allows natural movement of the wood without the noise.
Replace nails or screws – If nails have bent, rusted or deformed, simply replacing them with new ones can secure the floorboard into place.
Wood glue – We don’t usually just glue floorboards to stop them squeaking as it doesn’t always address the root cause, but there may be times when a liberal dose of the right glue in the right place is just what it needs.
Repair or replace floorboards – Sometimes, if the wood itself has split, cracked or been broken, we may have to repair or replace the floorboard as required. This is a last resort though.
Mr Sander
Mr Sander have been saving homes and businesses from creaking floorboards for over 20 years.
We’re a family-run business that has refined floor repair to a whole new level. So much so that we have repaired and restored floors in some of the best known stores and landmarks in the south of England!
We work with anyone who has wood floors. Whatever the size or scope of the project, we’re the people to call!
Contact Mr Sander today for a free site survey and quotation.
Bring the smile back to your floors – Get a Quote or Call us on 020 7381 9408
FAQs
What causes wooden floors to squeak?
Squeaks usually happen when floorboards rub against each other or the joists underneath. Loose nails, natural wood movement, or gaps developing over time are common causes — especially in older London homes.
Can squeaky floors be fixed without replacing the boards?
Yes, in most cases. We secure loose boards, adjust fittings, and stabilise any areas where the wood is shifting. Full board replacement is only needed if the timber is damaged or rotten.
Do squeaks mean my floor is unsafe?
Not always. Most squeaks are just noisy, not dangerous. But if your floor feels bouncy, dips in areas, or has visible movement, it may need a more thorough repair. We can check this during a quick inspection.
How do you fix a squeaky wooden floor?
We identify the source of the noise, then secure the boards using specialist screws or fittings, adjust joists if needed, and stabilise the floor. In some cases, we may add support from below if we can access the subfloor.
Will the squeaks come back after the repair?
If repaired properly, squeaks shouldn’t return. Wood naturally expands and contracts, but once boards and joists are stabilised, the noise is usually gone for good. Regular maintenance helps keep the floor quiet.
How long does a squeaky floor repair take?
Most squeak repairs take between 1–3 hours, depending on the cause and access to the subfloor. We’ll give you a clear estimated time after inspecting the area.
Do you repair squeaky floors in older or listed London properties?
Yes — in fact, older homes are the most common places to find squeaks. We work on Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian, and heritage properties, using careful methods to preserve the original boards while making the floor stable and quiet. You can book a consultation to get started.
Will repairs be visible after the squeak is fixed?
Most squeak repairs leave little to no visible change. If the floor is being sanded afterward, any marks or adjustments blend in completely. You can see examples of previous repairs in our Gallery.
