My $30 fix for a squeaky floor in a 1920s house

I was in my living room in St. Paul last month, and every step near the fireplace sounded like a mouse in pain. Tried screwing the subfloor back down from above, but that just made more holes. Crawled under the house and found the joist had separated from the floorboard by about a quarter inch. I drove a couple of cedar shims between them with a hammer, tapped them flush, and nailed a scrap block next to it for support. Has anyone else used shims for a problem like this, or is there a better way to stop the noise long term?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_murphy901mo ago

Oh man, I gotta say, cedar shims are a solid quick fix but they might not hold forever. Wood moves with humidity and temp changes, especially in an old house like that. I'd worry the shim might loosen up over time and you'd be back to square one with that mouse noise again. What I've done in my own place is use construction adhesive along with the shim. Just squirt some PL Premium on the shim before you tap it in. That way it's glued and wedged in place, and it won't wiggle loose even when the seasons change. Also, make sure you're using shims that are dry and not green or wet, cause those shrink and cause problems later. One more thing, check that the block you nailed next to it is actually tight to the joist. Sometimes if the floorboard is warped at all, the block might not be doing much. A little more glue on that block too never hurts.

michaeljones1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly is it really that big a deal if a shim moves a little?