OCR Text |
Show A Service Of The Thor Research Center For Better Farm Living A reader who is tired of squeaky floors in his home wants to know how he can eliminate the squeaks. The basic cause of squeaky floors, of course, is shrinkage oi the floor boards. This condition allows adjacent boards to rub against each other, as one gives and the other doesn't, when there is movement over the floor To solve the problem of squeaking squeak-ing boards on the first floor, drive small wooden wedges between the floor joists and sub-floor. This tightens the boards, preventing movement or rubbing. If the squeak is on the second floor, drive 8-penny nails at a 45-de- gree angle through the squeaking squeak-ing boards into the sub-floor and joist. The joists ordinarily are at 20-inch intervals from the outer wall. Be sure to countersink the nails and (ill the nail holes after using the latter solution Install bridging between joists to stop vibrating. A stop-gap solution to squeaking squeak-ing floors is to sprinkle talcum powder between the board spaces. But at best this is a temporary answer Another reader asks, "Our home is over SO years old and in some areas the floors vibrate when they are walked upon. What's the most reliable way of making them firm?" ANSWER: Install wood bridging bridg-ing between the floor joists beneath be-neath the vibrating sections. The bridging should be of the same thickness and width as the joists and should be cut individually to the exact size to fit between adjacent ad-jacent joists. Fasten the bridging with 12 or 14 penny nails driven through the joist and into the bridging at each end. If the vibrating vi-brating floor area is large and several bridge pieces are needed, stagger the bridgings so each can be fastened individually as indicated. |