If the tenants of new buildings only sometimes hear that floors creak in the apartment, then the owners of apartments in houses that were built in Soviet times, these sounds are very familiar. If you think that the only problem that the squeak brings is irritation, then you are mistaken. In fact, these sounds can provoke far more serious consequences for the human body. By the way, the creaking of the sexes is even listed in the list of reasons that cause impotence in men. Even if your apartment is quiet, and the neighbors scratch their floors, nothing good promises.
So, what if the floors in the house or apartment creak? Let's try to understand.
Causes of the creaking of the sexes
To understand why the floors are creaking, the familiarization with the principles of their laying and designs will help. A few years ago, the floors were stoned as follows: wooden beams were fixed to a concrete screed, and floorboards or chipboards were laid on them. Then the boards were compressed with wedges and nailed to the lags. Of course, it would be better to fasten the boards with screws, but earlier they used nails. After that, the floorboards were already nailed fiberboard, and then the linoleum. Sometimes linoleum was stacked in two layers to make the floors warmer. What happened with time? The logs dry up, they begin to walk a little, that's why the wooden floor creaks, and crevices form between the boards. The same process explains the situation when the floor of the chipboard or the DVP is creaking. Moreover, sometimes a new floor creaks, and even tiles on the floor can make unpleasant sounds! This is due to the fact that recently laid boards with spike-grooves have not yet attached to each other. In addition, these grooves are perfectly the same can not be a priori, so you need some time to wait.
Also creaks and parquet floor, and the floor of the laminate, if there is a change of weather from wet to dry and vice versa. Natural materials absorb moisture and swell, and then dry up and shrink in size. Unfortunately, in this case nothing can be done.
Get rid of the creaking
To ensure that the floor does not creak, it is best to redefine it with the replacement of all lags and boards. Concrete screed would be very useful for eliminating the creaking, but it is not always appropriate. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a complete replacement, so we have to look for options how to repair creaking floors with the least cost.
To do this, first remove the skirting boards, then remove the linoleum and fiberboard from the floor. From the lags and boards, you must remove all old nails. Instead, screw the screws. And self-tapping screws must be screwed in different directions. In the event that the floor creaks only along the perimeter, between the boards and the wall it is necessary to drive a few wooden wedges. Slots between the boards should be smeared with special putty (sold in building materials stores). After that, walk on the logs. They no longer have to cry. Further on top of lags and boards lay sheets of fiberboard (better, of course, new ones), and on top - linoleum. It remains to fasten the skirting boards - and the floor as new!
And what if the logs can not be secured with self-tapping screws? In this case it is necessary to fasten them with anchor bolts. Without a puncher can not do: we drill a hole through the board and log, we go deeper into the concrete for half a centimeter. An anchor bolt must be screwed into the hole. Of course, as a result of this procedure, the level of your sex may rise slightly, but this problem can easily be remedied by an electric gun. Just be careful with the protruding hats of self-tapping screws and anchor bolts.
It is worth noting that such repair of the floors will save you from annoying squeaking only for a while, because the tree will again start to "walk" a bit during operation.