Quick Fixes for Squeaky Floorboards in Victorian Newcastle Homes

Old houses are like the weird relatives you keep locked in the attic, creepy and seldom spoken about, but always there and an integral part of your life. What’s worse, the homes of Newcastle very literally creak and groan as they get on with their lives, and no doubt they have some funny stories to tell ranging from successful romances, failed marriages, wayward children, and heartbroken couples sending kids off to pastures far away across the ocean.

Floorboards in old houses of Newcastle are often made of softwood, having been sourced from far off Scandinavian forests to make the long journey south to furnish your house with beams and boards to keep you safe from the elements. However, wooden boards are not as inert and stable as they may appear. Over time and nature’s becoming, these floorboards settle in, expand and contract, develop a “relationship” with the beams beneath, and form a tight bond. Alas, given enough time, trees and wood are also the favorite diet of many creepy crawlies or decay from prolonged exposure to moisture. With these factors at play, along with shifting weights of furniture, pets, and people, floorboards of old victorian houses tend to develop squeaks and silences in their creaks, adding to the weird relatives’ repertoire of sounds, some weirder than others!

You can’t get rid of the annoying squeaks that easily without taking a sledgehammer to all of your floors and enduring weeks of replacement work. Luckily, like some annoying relatives who have found themselves a new career in motivational speaking, or worse, reality shows, your boards can be rehabilitated back to their noisy glory, but you have to be careful not to damage their integrity during any “fix it up” operations. Many shows or articles show you how to fix squeaks quickly and easily without doing any major work. However, quick fixes are only a temporary solution.

2. Understanding the Causes of Squeaks

A wooden floor is a beautiful feature of any house, bringing character, timeless elegance, and even adding value to your property. Unfortunately, in many older houses, particularly Victorian terraced homes, the floorboards are usually very old, and having stood the test of time for over a century, it is not surprising that many of them have started to develop a few quirks or oddities. One of these is the annoying squeak that greets every step. But what causes these annoying noises?

Firstly, since wooden floorboards are made of timber, they are affected by humidity and temperature changes, swelling and contracting as moisture is absorbed and released from the timber. This condition of the floorboards can be more exaggerated in properties where the floorboards have been treated with varnishes or mass-market natural oils. In addition to moisture changes, age also plays a significant role in squeaky floorboards. It is a common myth that all old things creak; in fact, many older properties are very quiet. It is often only properties that have not been properly looked after that squeak due to timber rot, insects, and a lack of maintenance, where the moisture balance has become unmanageable over the years.

The importance of humidity and temperature changes, and in particular age cannot be ignored; however, it is generally loose floorboards that cause creaking noises. When a floorboard is loose, the weight of each step causes it to flex and move. Unfortunately, since most floorboards are laid directly on the joist or beams underneath, it is this movement that causes the squeaky noise. In addition to annoying noises, ineffective floor fixing will also mean that you are losing energy in the colder months.

2.1. Age of the Floorboards

Before delving into the practicalities of doling out remedies for squeaky timber, it may be useful to dig a bit deeper into the reasons behind the squeaks. This may allow us to more appropriately choose the remedy. Additionally, it may even allow us to avoid a remedy altogether. Why wasn't the house just carpeted? All these buildings were built before the invention of the carpet (excluding matting of reeds and rushes on dirt floors). The lumber merchants used to ship casks, loads, and ships of timber from Canada and further afield into the Rivers Tyne and Wear. This timber was used to construct floorboards and roofs. Much of this timber was what was termed "Red Deal", a softwood from Canada. Many of the cheaper houses were built with softwood, which was relatively straight-grained, and expensive to import. Many of the remaining houses were built of hardwoods such as oak. The Victorian craftsmen who constructed the floors both negotiated with the lumber merchants and paid for the timber. The merchants had no sense of priority - they were too busy rolling in the money. It was all shipped in with no regard to the season in which it was felled, and typically, it had not been recently felled. The timber, especially the softwood, was very large-sectioned, which was extremely difficult to work with. The Victorians had extreme pride in their workmanship - there would have been no question of the craftsman cutting corners. They simply would not have completed a floor until every single board met equally tight tolerances over the entire length of the board, with no gaps and no warp.

2.2. Humidity and Temperature Changes

In order to address the squeaky floorboards, it can be helpful to first understand the reason they are squeaking. A home is a dynamic structure that responds and adapts to the various conditions it’s faced with over its lifetime. Victorian homes were built when there was little understanding of the relationship between humidity, temperature, and building construction. Furthermore, the Victorian Age was marked by the Industrial Revolution and all the effects that come with that, including temperature variations as a result of heating coal fires, dry central heating, and the soot, dust, and oil that lumber were exposed to when being shipped.

You may think floorboards shrink in summer, which is often hot and dry. Think again. Summer is often marked by rain and a build-up of humidity in the air. However, on sunny summer days, the phenomenon of thermal expansion can be observed on roads and train tracks. Houses are dynamic structures that respond to the temperature and humidity in the air. The complexity of humidity and temperature changes, thus, also affects your floorboards. As your floorboards adapt to humidity and temperature changes, they expand and contract slightly, causing the floorboards to rub against each other and the nails holding them down. In particular, variations in interior humidity and temperature – either daily cycles or longer seasonal cycles – should be monitored. Aberrations from the normal conditions can be eliminated by using dehumidifiers, by increasing ventilation during hot summer days, and/or reducing ventilation during winter months.

2.3. Loose Floorboards

If the floorboards are loose, they are no longer tightly fitted to their adjacent boards or they’re no longer firmly secured to the joists beneath. In such a case, when you walk over a loose floorboard, it’s free to slide backwards and forwards as you walk. As it moves, the nail in the floorboard is forced against the nail groove of the adjoining floorboard or the joist, producing squeaks. The same squeaking likely happens when you flex a loose stair tread or riser. Over the years, no matter how well you maintain your home, wear and tear will gradually take their toll. Loose floorboards are prevalent in older houses because over time, house framing tends to shift with natural settling and changing moisture and humidity levels. This and other natural factors cause floorboards to loosen. Additionally, knotty pine floorboards contain pockets of resin known as knots that dry out and shrink with age, giving their already-soft wood an added tendency to loosen. Jointed floorboards are butt-jointed together without any attachment to a joist where they adjoin. Typical of houses produced at the turn of the century through about the 1930s, floors that slip and slide at their joints produce noisy squeaks. Even modern homes may develop this kind of noise if the house framing settles and the joints between the boards widen. Such expansion or contraction isn’t as likely to be a problem in homes with wider joints and less drying moving. Buckling or warping of floorboards also interferes with a good tight fit. Board widening and narrowing have nothing to do with the age of a house; it’s the characteristics of the wood itself that determine the propensity to shrink or expand.

3. Tools and Materials Needed

Before we go into the squeak repair techniques, this chapter will guide you on what you need to carry out your chosen method of fixing squeaky floorboards. Apart from the tools and materials mentioned in this chapter, other equipment like compressed air and a metal detector may be useful but are not strictly necessary.

3.1. Basic Tools

A basic kit of DIY tools can go a long way towards completing minor maintenance in the home. Most people will already have a hammer and a couple of screwdrivers (one Phillips; one flat-bladed) in their home. Screwdrivers are also useful for prying and levering. A small container of wood glue will also be useful for minor repairs such as filling cracks or gluing inaccurate joints. A pair of scissors could help! A set of pliers has multiple uses, including gripping, twisting, and cutting. A small saw is also useful for making minor repairs. A rubber mallet is useful for tapping things in place and avoiding denting your wood. A putty knife will prove handy for fitting repairs into small gaps. Lastly, cut a few strips of sandpaper into small pieces for fixing poor finishings or rough repairs.

3.2. Squeak Repair Kits

Adhesive products specifically for tackling squeaks on floorboards are available. A strong adhesive, less viscous than standard wood glue, is formulated to leave a hard joint when cured. A similar product is specifically formulated to flex after drying. Both are relatively cheap products available at many builders merchants and hardware stores. However, gluing or repairing problematic joints or boards should be made sooner rather than later; when you jeopardize the rigidity of the joint, tension in other adjacent joints will be increased in proportion, making them more likely to squeak!

3.1. Basic Tools

Do it yourself is a common solution to many problems in the home. Floorboards creaking are often a sign of movement in the property – nails coming loose, wood drying out, or gaps appearing between boards. Even if this is a symptom of many of the same problems above, the squeak can often be easily resolved, without having to go digging underneath the floor or get heavy footed on the floor above. Larger repairs will of course call for more time and effort, and probably a few more tools. However, in some cases a simple solution involving tools that everyone has lying around will be enough. Aside from a set of tools to do floor screwing, you will probably find yourself needing a hammer, a hammer drill (with a long screwdriver bit if you’re drilling through tiles), a circular saw and repair aid. Squeeze glue, get a putty knife (for spreading glue) and a small saw, a bit of sandpaper, a few thin chisels, a set of drill bits, a pair of clamps, and of course wood glue. In most cases, getting rid of a squeak is simply a question of finding the troublesome board(s) or joist (or maybe more than one of them), hammering (or drilling) a few screws into them to draw them back together tightly, applying a small amount of wood glue, and leaving it to set for a few hours at least. In the end it’s a simple job, as long as you know your way around tools and have some advice to follow. If not, feel free to get in touch for a quote any time. It may take you a few days and cause you a lot of headaches for very little money saved, but in the end it is certainly worth a shot.

3.2. Squeak Repair Kits

It may seem strange to find floor squeaks treated in the same way as plumbing and electrical repairs, but repair kits are becoming available to help with the former. These kits make a difficult repair effort much easier – at least for the squeak removers. A long screw or bolt is driven through several floor covering layers and its special head or the anchor ends a few millimeters below the floor surface – its special head or anchor hidden in a plug – glued, painted, or varnished. The screw/bolt pulls the floor down tight against the joist. It leaves no visible trace, saving refinishing or repainting floor and walls.

To ensure its stiffness, the bolt or screw has the maximum size while being a minimum of holes through the floor covering. Various manufacturers offer these kits molded into packages. Kit contents vary but usually include multiple screws, bolts, plugs, a screw pusher, unoiled screws, and a bag of wood glue or a tube of adhesive caulk. Some also make a commercial kit for wood-to-wood sill repairs. However, when installed properly and even when finished with glue or caulk different colors than adjacent wood, filler plugs for pegs and patch screw holes typically cannot be seen at all. Some may not like plaster repair kit thumbhole fills, but these repairs become less visible over time. Should you choose not to use paint, the patch will remain visible only for a few years.

Multiple floor covering layers, odd angles, and joists too high or low to align with bolt heads can make it hard to get a screw through a floor covering layer when using a floor squeak repair kit. And bolts of non-traditional lengths – screws long enough to reach joists above and short enough to clear electrical lines and plumbing below – can be hard to find, but this kit option can really help with squeak repairs. Squeaky floor correction companies make bolts longer than any others and in pitches to fit both wide and narrow floor surface and joist gap corrections.

3.3. Lubricants

Like ‘squeak repair kits’, we’re including lubricants in our guide for two reasons. First, everyone’s heard of them. Second, they’re the most commonly used solutions for squeaky floorboards in homes. However, please note that we don’t recommend them – unless you can’t find squeak repair kit parts, that is. That’s because lubricants only provide quick, temporary fixes, don’t address the underlying reasons for squeaks, and can cause irreversible damage.

You see, wood glue works, communicating tension across a floor and joint – but silicone or wax are doing the opposite, reducing tension on the squeak by internally separating the two squeaking surfaces, which isn’t addressing the cause. Plus, if you apply the lubricant to the wrong area, you may actually make the squeak worse: wood on wood is quietest; anything else is decreasing friction between the floorboards and joists. So before you go bothering your local hardware store in search of lubricants, we recommend you first take a close look at the area of the wood where the squeak is coming from. If you can see bare wood, it could mean that the subfloor has worn away over time, resulting in the joists and floorboards rubbing against each other. In this case, no lubricant is going to help you!

However, if you can see wood glue residue in the squeak’s area, the squeak probably means that the glue has worn out. Applying a lubricant to either squeak location will temporarily mask your problem until you can fix the squeaky floorboards properly. The common options are item breakdown and silicone spray – how long they last will depend on the environment and how much traffic is in the area, but you can expect anything from a few days to a few months.

4. DIY Fixes for Squeaky Floorboards

Period homes are often prized for their characterful large rooms, entrance corridors and high ceilings. As with many older properties some noise is to be expected. However, if noise problems develop it may be indicative of underlying structural issues, or any one of a number of other causes.

Noise in traditional timber floors is usually due to faulty joints at the junction of the tongue and groove boards, or at the junction of the boards and the underlying joists. In general terms it’s a result of the boards moving against one another, or against the joists, either through insufficient packing under the joists or inadequately secured layers at the edge or underside of the surfaces. Use the following DIY methods to fix a squeaky floor.

Using Talcum Powder Lightly sprinkle talcum powder on the squeaky section of the floor, preferably wetting it slightly to allow it to penetrate down the joints. This is likely to solve the problem temporarily. A more permanent fix would be to rub the powder into the joints – this will keep the boards porous. Whether one or other of these will solve the squeak depends to a large extent on the construction of the boards and their construction and fixing.

Applying Wood Glue If lying above a soil space make holes down through the boards into the joists at intervals along the squeaky section and use a small tube to inject wood glue into the holes. Close the holes after applying glue with dowels hammered in flush. Note that if any of the holes are left open and visible, the glue may splatter outside the hole while curing.

Screw and Glue Method Sometimes the joint on the underside of a board may have a defective tongue service or groove. In such cases you cannot stop squeaks with just glue. You must also clip the joint in order to prevent further movement. Do this by putting screws at intervals along the floorboards or blocking the underside joints. The former is not very aesthetic and has a tendency to lift unless you cover the screw heads and rub talcum powder into the joint. So the best method is likely to be to put glue again on the joint and then block. It’s important to use the right size of blocks and not hammer them in flush. Doing so can prevent you from making an effective fix and lifting the floors.

4.1. Using Talcum Powder

A squeaky floor can be annoying, especially on a late-night journey to the bathroom. Yet, it is a common worry for homeowners, particularly those in Victorian homes, where floorboards are not often made of modern materials or well-fitted. These squeaks and creaks are almost always due to the offsetting wood between the joists and the boards, or friction between the individual boards. Here is a brief guide to some simple solutions, should you wish to tackle them yourself.

The quickest and simplest solution to a squeaky floor is simply to sprinkle some talcum powder into the gaps around the offending area. The powder fills the gaps and soaks up any moisture inside, so reducing friction. It is advisable to leave the powder to settle for a few hours before walking back over it, and this solution is unlikely to make the squeaks disappear altogether, so it is best employed as a temporary solution. The downside is that this may leave a whitening mark on the floor; it can be dulled down or removed by simple buffing. However, this is likely to be a welcome relief when the alternative is hours spent listening each night to floor noises echoing around the house.

4.2. Applying Wood Glue

If your floorboards are creaking because of slight separation between the floorboards, an easy fix is to apply some wood glue. You can do this on its own or in conjunction with using screw fixing. You can apply wood glue between floorboards where needed, or onto boards where the tongue and groove of one floorboard meets the groove of the next. Or you may like to consider using longer screws to help ensure the boards are firmly pressed down to the joist and hold everything nice and tight.

When using glue, for best results you want to use hide or animal glue, which is what wood glue used to be prior to PVA being developed. It is usually sold in powdered form that you dissolve yourself in a double boiler on indirect low heat to prevent scorching it. Once properly heated, you then smear some onto the tongue of one board and the groove of the other. You can then close the joint and wipe any extra out with a damp cloth, being sure to have plenty of weight on the boards while the glue sets. Traditional hide glue sets up pretty fast, usually in a few hours. Just be sure to check it has completely set before taking the weight off.

If using PVA wood glue, you simply let the glue set overnight but the long-term result will not be as strong. Also, it’s best just to apply some glue into any join gaps instead of coating the tongue and groove as you will have issues trying to close the joint if you follow the traditional method. PVA glue does not work well at closing the space between boards, so you’re better off doing it this way than trying to coat the tongue and groove. Leather belts, when they dry, usually shrink and often result in a gap between the tongue and groove. Using PVA just makes the problem worse because, when it dries, it can’t be compressed. The PVA gluing method is, however, a lot faster since you don’t have to apply the glue and clamp it together. PVA wood glue works fine if little or no space is present between the tongue and groove rather than making the problem worse.

4.3. Screw and Glue Method

The screw and glue method involves using screws to tighten boards that move disturbing the adjacent boards and create noise. A small amount of glue should be applied through the countersunk hole before inserting the screw, increasing the effectiveness of this method. Do not over-tighten the screws or they may crack the boards or lift them above adjacent boards. When using this method, select a screw length such that the board is driven firmly against the joist but that the screw does not penetrate through the board into the room below. The screw should also be long enough to go deep enough into the joist to warrant giving it the ability to draw the squeaky board down tightly. The placement of screws is very important in using this method. We want to minimize the number of screws placed in visible areas of the room, and we want to maximize the number of screws in the squeaky area. In general, we want to put a screw in the corner of each butt joint of the plank floor. If a butt joint is not in the squeaky area, then we want to put a screw in each plank about 12-18 inches apart in the squeaky area. If the joints are in the squeaky area, then be sure to use enough screws for the joints, and use enough screws for the planks in the intervening area so that all squeaky area gets fully covered. Place screws only in visible areas or under rugs, as this method will leave visible holes. Coak the hole with wood fill but do not place the filler until after the solution has been found to avoid accidentally marking an area that will be hidden with filler. The filler may be slightly darker than the surrounding area, as that is the nature of fillers – they don’t usually match perfectly. Remember that the fillers should never be placed until at least some of the squeaky sounds are eliminated. And the holes should be there for at least a couple of seasons to ensure that it is indeed a successful fix.

5. When to Call a Professional

While squeegees can be fixed with relative ease in the hands of the right homeowner, there are some situations that really demand an expert. If you have a lower-level problem, like one or two squeaky boards, you can likely take care of matters on your own, while other circumstances — like warped joists, insect infestations, or worse — are better left to experienced professionals. So, how do you determine when your squeaking floorboards are a do-it-yourself job, and when should you place that call? Read on.

Before you jump in excitement when learning that a basic squeaky plank can be an easy repair, double check that it isn’t a symptom of a bigger issue. Look for signs of sagging or a floor dip, as these can point to problems in the subfloor, underlayment, or the very framework of the house itself. Similarly, observe the nearest square drywall patches — if they’re cracked or crumbling, you may have an issue with settling or moisture. You’ll also want to look into the area underneath your house; a muddy crawlspace or water damage in the basement could point to a more significant issue that is causing the wood to warp, leading to the floorboards moving in a way that causes the wood to rub against each other or create air pockets, which lead to squeaking. If you notice an insect infestation, such as termites, you need to make calling in a professional pest control your first priority well before you touch any flooring. Termites eat away at the board structure of your floors, which obviously also causes strength and structural issues that could lead your flooring to be less stable, leading to squeaking.

5.1. Signs of Serious Damage

Repairing squeaky floorboards can be a satisfying and effective DIY project, but many homeowners bite off more than they can chew and attempt repairs that are far beyond their skillset. Likewise, some problems are just too serious for a simple repair and should be performed by a professional. So, how do you know when it’s time to call in someone with more experience? To help answer that question, here’s a short guide on some signs to look out for that may mean it’s time to call in someone with more experience. If you have a polished wooden floor, your boards should be slightly flexible and move a little on inspection. However, if the boards move a lot, bend or start to feel squishy underfoot, then that is a sign of serious damage. Furthermore, if the squeak is accompanied by unevenness in the floor or gaps that appear to be getting larger between the floorboards and the walls, it’s possible that your floor is “breaking” away from the joists. If you notice these symptoms, you should call a builder in immediately, as both of these issues are signs of structural movement, which could impact the structural integrity of the whole building. Water damage is another factor that should be taken into consideration. If you can see evidence of damp around your floor, and the floor(s) and joists underneath are not dry, it’s time to call in the professionals. In fact, even if you can’t see damp damage but have access to the joists below or behind walls, it's worth checking for damage. Rotting joists and beams can be a huge concern, especially in timber frame buildings. It’s essential that a builder assesses the damage quickly and carries out any necessary repairs before the rot spreads.

5.2. Complex Repair Needs

Not all squeaky floor problems can be resolved with a few basic tools, and at some time in his career every DIYer faces a complex fix that requires a professional handyman, flooring expert, or carpenter. The reasons range from extra large rooms to strange subflooring layout, poor options or material choices, lack of time or tools, and, for older DIYers, the simple desire to avoid the back aches from kneeling and crawling around on a hard floor. Given that flooring in historic homes typically has its problems hidden for years or even centuries, here are the most common causes of repair issues that may justify contacting a professional. Start with space. While DIY can handle most floor fixes in typical sizes, a large dining or living room with a wood floor section long enough to warrant warping or joining, requires four or more times the standing, kneeling, or crawling space. Remove heavy furniture if you’re a sucker for punishment, but know that unless the two ends are propped, the floor must be perfectly straight, or walking on the still-propped ends will induce bending and creaking. In very large homes with several storied wooden floors, you may also face a warping floor just from its size and weight, not climate. You should lean toward a professional with expensively carpeted flooring if you believe the problem is complex enough, as caution around overdeveloping close relationships with power tools is always good. There are also some common finesse issues, such as whether the boards are tongue and groove or end-matched. Tongue and groove is ideal, as the structure is “locked” along each side, which means less tweaking and tightening. But end-matched requires the higher precision achievable only from professionals. If the edges don’t almost touch or touch, vibrations and creaks are unavoidable in any humidity.

6. Preventative Measures for the Future

You've gone to great pains to fix the problem, so let's make the most of our efforts and prevent it from happening again. Regular maintenance will help you do this. Between those periods of heavy usage in the course of family and friends visiting as well as the odd-day quiet period where floors get a duration of a decrease in the vibe and energy levels of the house, a little sprinkle of talcum powder here and there will keep squeaks at bay and will also keep dirt and dust out of the cracks. If you spot a troublesome floorboard, perhaps because of a squeak that's got a little louder, a coin-sized dollop or three of wood glue smeared between cracks in the floorboards at the joists will do a lot to keep it tight.

A preventative measure that should be carried out at least once every two years is the checking and tightening of the screws or nails that hold the floorboards down to their joists, or at the joists. All it means is pulling out a floorboard and checking if there are screws or nails that are loose at the point where the board meets the joist. If they are, tighten them. The most frequent cause of the squeak sound is tiny movements in the thousands of wood fibers that make up both the board and the joist, just where they are bonded together by the screw or nail. If the fibers move against each other, that sound level might be enough to disturb the peace for the people in adjoining rooms. If you want to be really thorough or, of course, crazy, you could use a torque wrench for this, but unless the nails or screws are damaged or rusted, that might be a bit excessive!

6.1. Regular Maintenance Tips

If you’ve already implemented a squeak-fix, there are some things you can do to reduce friction and just generally take care of your floorboards so that it doesn’t come back to haunt you later. Here are some easy tips for maintaining your squeaky floorboards: Walk gently on your floorboards. Usually the primary purpose of floorboards is to walk upon them, but softer-footed people can cause less squeaking. Since the sound is made by the movement of the boards and their fastenings against each other, the gentler the movement, the quieter the sound. If you are bothered by squeaky floors at night, simply walking around the house quietly may fix it. Apply talcum powder to small gaps. Talcum powder can help reduce squeaking in boards that have a little space between them. Floors can be cleaned by brushing some talcum powder into the cracks of your flooring. Although messy, the powder will act as a lubricant, reducing friction while germs, dust, and dirt are blocked from entering the crack. When applying talcum powder, wait a couple of days before sweeping it up, and be cautious of applying too much. Use rugs to muffle noise. Whenever possible, use rugs to muffle the sounds as well as absorbing moisture from the wood so it doesn’t dry out and warp as easily. Something like cotton absorbs the moisture from the air which prevents your wood from drying out, while also covering the squeaky parts of your little piece of heaven. Clean regularly. Friction can be caused by accumulated dirt, dust, sand, or other particles. Sweep, mop, and vacuum floorboards at least once a week to keep the boards clean and the squeaks muted. For greasy build-up in the kitchen, using warm, soapy water can also help. Remember that plain water won't cut it for dirt that has been building up for some time, so if this is a problem for you, be sure to scrub using warm, soapy water and a mop or sponge.

6.2. Humidity Control

One of the best solutions to long-term squeaky floorboards is humidity control; and that is something which is relatively easy to achieve in modern homes. In old houses, this is primarily done by creating ventilation to keep the spaces under your house as dry as possible. This area, known as the underfloor void, is a space between the ground and your house floor. It is often found around the edges of the ground floor of Victorian homes. It should already have some ventilation, which usually consists of a few air bricks, particularly at the front and back of the house where the void can get damp. This is because these air bricks open up to the air just above ground level, which can get compressed during the winter months, reducing air flow under the floor.

Dampness causes both wood shrinkage and expansion, moving the nails in and out or the joists on and off of the board’s edges, which causes squeaks. If you reduce the dampness then you reduce the possibility of squeaking. Therefore, creating more ventilation will put the wood in a stable condition for longer periods. To do this, you can remove the relevant air bricks from your house and get the appropriate size for the void to install. This size is usually directly related to the total area of your ground floor. If there is a moisture issue in your void, it might be better to use air bricks made of specialist materials or even plastic vent covers designed for moisture absorption. You can also use a dehumidifier to speed the drying process or perhaps a low wattage bulb, although that probably wouldn’t be 100% safe and is not very eco-friendly. You can also help speed the process during the winter by making sure that windows are closed and that ventilation is closed in all upstairs bathrooms and kitchens.

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