BobbyPhil1781 Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 (edited) 21 minutes ago, theJ said: Never used it. But the theory is simple enough. The floor creaks because the hardwood is separated from the subfloor (or the subfloor is separated from the joists). If you can securely fasten those layers together, it should not creak. I do not think WD-40 is your solution here. It solves all sorts of problems, but probably not this one. I have a few areas that creak as well in the upstairs. I was planning on addressing it once we replace the carpet in a few years (after our 2 year old is out of the destruction phase). I don't really want to pull up the carpet to see what's going on there, unless i'm going to replace the carpet at the same time. Agreed, it does look really simple and it all makes sense. The fact the screws break away and hide makes it far, far more appealing also. I did a small sample w/ the WD40 and it didn't do a damn thing lol. It was easy enough to try and the door squeaks so even though I pretty much figured it wouldn't work, at least it prompted me to take it upstairs and get the door taken care of. I'm going to look more into those kits. Cheap and easy fix for a big problem. I've already gone in my basement marking all the areas floors squeak on the main level also. Working from home has it's advantages lol. Edited May 7, 2020 by JTagg7754 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibuspeedrace Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, JTagg7754 said: Agreed, it does look really simple and it all makes sense. The fact the screws break away and hide makes it far, far more appealing also. I did a small sample w/ the WD40 and it didn't do a damn thing lol. It was easy enough to try and the door squeaks so even though I pretty much figured it wouldn't work, at least it prompted me to take it upstairs and get the door taken care of. I'm going to look more into those kits. Cheap and easy fix for a big problem. I've already gone in my basement marking all the areas floors squeak on the main level also. Working from home has it's advantages lol. is there any type of gap between subfloor and joists in those areas? Or any ductwork tight to subfloor or touching the joists? edit to add: a structural engineer i work with recommended adding a bottom cord (2x4) to the underside of floor joists in a brand new home that had squeaking floors for one of my buddies. It turns the joist into an upside down T and allows for additional stiffness to eliminate flex. Only thing is that they have to run the whole length to work. This Olde House also has recommended in the past. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/flooring/21015298/bye-bye-bounce Edited May 7, 2020 by malibuspeedrace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 24 minutes ago, malibuspeedrace said: is there any type of gap between subfloor and joists in those areas? Or any ductwork tight to subfloor or touching the joists? edit to add: a structural engineer i work with recommended adding a bottom cord (2x4) to the underside of floor joists in a brand new home that had squeaking floors for one of my buddies. It turns the joist into an upside down T and allows for additional stiffness to eliminate flex. Only thing is that they have to run the whole length to work. This Olde House also has recommended in the past. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/flooring/21015298/bye-bye-bounce On my main level, I can access about half of the houses joists and did a small test w/ my wife walking around and it seems as if yes, there's a gap. Those will be rather easy to deal w/ and that makes me happy. The stuff I was looking to use that kit for is on our second floor where obviously everything is not accessible so that's why the kit was referenced. I'm kinda new to this whole fixing up crap on my own thing as this is the first house I've owned so I will look into this bottom cord you're speaking of and see how practical it is. I appreciate the linking of that article also as I will certainly look into that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywlker32 Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 1 hour ago, JTagg7754 said: On my main level, I can access about half of the houses joists and did a small test w/ my wife walking around and it seems as if yes, there's a gap. Those will be rather easy to deal w/ and that makes me happy. The stuff I was looking to use that kit for is on our second floor where obviously everything is not accessible so that's why the kit was referenced. I'm kinda new to this whole fixing up crap on my own thing as this is the first house I've owned so I will look into this bottom cord you're speaking of and see how practical it is. I appreciate the linking of that article also as I will certainly look into that! https://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/nails-screws-and-fasteners/squeak-killaz-trim-head-screws.html These look like the type of screws that we used. Can't really tell they're there with a darker finished floor at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 55 minutes ago, skywlker32 said: https://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/nails-screws-and-fasteners/squeak-killaz-trim-head-screws.html These look like the type of screws that we used. Can't really tell they're there with a darker finished floor at least. Awesome. Thanks for this! Looks like w/ the info I've dug up and everyone's suggestions here, I can get started on this one and eventually have a squeak free house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 We are contingent on a house right now but just had the home inspection. Not sure if we have any contracting experts around here. There were a number of things but most notably, I want to make sure the foundation is OK or things can be fixed up by someone qualified. If this is simply a poor structure I would just want to walk away from it. Here are some concerns I’m looking at. High moisture levels in crawl space: Basement wall/crawl space: Vapor barrier noted to be missing: Negative grading that slopes towards the house is noted: Appreciate any advice. It’s a nice two-story place on a couple of acres. If there are foundation issues that are an easy fix by a specialist that’s fine. If it was a poor construction from the start, that’s another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 17 hours ago, NateDawg said: We are contingent on a house right now but just had the home inspection. Not sure if we have any contracting experts around here. There were a number of things but most notably, I want to make sure the foundation is OK or things can be fixed up by someone qualified. If this is simply a poor structure I would just want to walk away from it. Here are some concerns I’m looking at. I didn't see anything there that's an actual foundation problem. Just some issues that could lead to foundation issues. Moisture is fairly easy to correct. Just put down a new vapor barrier. Negative grading can be fixed too. From the pictures you posted, i don't see any signs of mold or anything. You may just be dealing with some spring moisture, which is fairly common. @vike daddy - opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 18 minutes ago, theJ said: I didn't see anything there that's an actual foundation problem. Just some issues that could lead to foundation issues. Moisture is fairly easy to correct. Just put down a new vapor barrier. Negative grading can be fixed too. From the pictures you posted, i don't see any signs of mold or anything. You may just be dealing with some spring moisture, which is fairly common. @vike daddy - opinion? Yeah, thanks for the advice. That’s kind of the conclusion I have reached so far. To be safe though, I am going to have a contractor go out there and give recommendations and would like an understanding for remedies with the seller, so I know we aren’t dealing with a real situation out of our own pocket. They also have downspouts not long enough/unconnected at the bottom, so I’m sure that water coming off the roof is seeping in instead of flowing away from the house. It’s just a crawl space but thoughts on also requesting a sum pump to be put in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, NateDawg said: Yeah, thanks for the advice. That’s kind of the conclusion I have reached so far. To be safe though, I am going to have a contractor go out there and give recommendations and would like an understanding for remedies with the seller, so I know we aren’t dealing with a real situation out of our own pocket. They also have downspouts not long enough/unconnected at the bottom, so I’m sure that water coming off the roof is seeping in instead of flowing away from the house. It’s just a crawl space but thoughts on also requesting a sum pump to be put in? Two things: 1) I think every single home inspection ever has said the downspouts don't extend far enough away from the house, lol. 2) You can add a sump pump, but that may be more difficult that just adding a sump pump. You may need to add trenching around the perimeter of the foundation, which will probably run thousands depending on the size of the house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) 44 minutes ago, theJ said: Two things: 1) I think every single home inspection ever has said the downspouts don't extend far enough away from the house, lol. Yeah, this is what we’re looking at: 44 minutes ago, theJ said: 2) You can add a sump pump, but that may be more difficult that just adding a sump pump. I’m assuming you mean the sump pump would be tougher then trenching? Or, the other way around? Edited May 8, 2020 by NateDawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 2 minutes ago, NateDawg said: I’m assuming you mean the sump pump would be tougher then trenching? Sorry for the vague wording. I was on a conference call. Adding the sump pump is easy. Dig a hole, put in the sump box and sump. Done. Directing the water to the sump pump is the tricky part. To do it right, you need a trench around the perimeter of your foundation, with a pipe and cleanouts. Digging in a crawl is not easy, and not cheap. But, you don't have standing water, from what you said. So that may mean you really only need to do the vapor barrier. I'd get a few contractors out there to look at it. Should be free to look and get recommendations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 5 minutes ago, theJ said: Sorry for the vague wording. I was on a conference call. Adding the sump pump is easy. Dig a hole, put in the sump box and sump. Done. Directing the water to the sump pump is the tricky part. To do it right, you need a trench around the perimeter of your foundation, with a pipe and cleanouts. Digging in a crawl is not easy, and not cheap. But, you don't have standing water, from what you said. So that may mean you really only need to do the vapor barrier. I'd get a few contractors out there to look at it. Should be free to look and get recommendations. I gotcha. Appreciate the assistance man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanedorf Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) When we did a remodel, the construction guys got lazy on a Friday afternoon. They ran out of vapor barrier about 3 feet from the end of the foundation But rather than get more, they just closed up the hole and prayed. Their prayers were not answered and we ended up with a major mold problem to the tune of $ 15K in repairs ( covered by insurance) but it was still a HUGE pain in the arse. I certainly do not want to strike fear here, I'm just sharing my experience of what happened with a missing vapor barrier. The mold removal and remediation adds up quickly...conversely there is a ton of fear-mongering and misinformation when it comes to mold so you probably should get a professional opinion so you know what you're up against. Edited May 8, 2020 by Shanedorf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 6 minutes ago, Shanedorf said: When we did a remodel, the construction guys got lazy on a Friday afternoon. They ran out of vapor barrier about 3 feet from the end of the foundation But rather than get more, they just closed up the hole and prayed. Their prayers were not answered and we ended up with a major mold problem to the tune of $ 15K in repairs ( covered by insurance) but it was still a HUGE pain in the arse. I certainly do not want to strike fear here, I'm just sharing my experience of what happened with a missing vapor barrier. The mold removal and remediation adds up quickly...conversely there is a ton of fear-mongering and misinformation when it comes to mold so you probably should get a professional opinion so you know what you're up against. It really depends on the soil conditions and weather of your local area. My parents have never had a vapor barrier in their crawl, and don't have mold issues. It's damp, always has been. But no mold for some reason. *shrug emoji* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 We’ve got someone coming out Monday. Will know more then. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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