Chipboard flooring is a sub-flooring material that is made of coarse sawdust or wood chips mixed with resin. It can also be called particle board or oriented strand board (OSB). The resin and wood mixture is pressed and processed through heat to form large sheets. Chipboard that is high in density is used for sub-flooring, usually used as a base for carpet or other flooring because it is more economical than plywood but it gets the job done. Chipboard flooring sheets bond as one in a tongue and groove method. Squeaky chipboard flooring may be cause by a lot of things. Settlement is one reason why floor boards creak. Poor installation is another, when there are rogue nails or the floor boards do not meet where they are supposed to, thus not supporting the weight that need to resulting to a creaking noise. This article aims to help you remedy creaking chipboard flooring.
What You'll Need
What You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- A flat head screwdriver
- A claw hammer
- A light-weight hammer
- Cross head screw driver
- Screws
Step 1 - Find the Squeaky Location
Walk around the area where the creaking noise is present and distinguish exactly which floor board makes the creaking noise. You have to make sure that the carpet is out of the way when you do this.
Step 2 - Raise the Nail from the Chipboard
Using the flat head screw driver, gently scrape away at the spot around and under the head of the nail on the creaky floorboard. Your goal is to try and raise the nail a little from the floor board.
Step 3 - Remove the Nail Gently
When you have done Step 2 successfully and there is a slight gap between the head of the nail and the floor board, you can either remove the nail with the back end of the hammer or a claw hammer or you can use the flat head screwdriver to gently remove the nail by putting the flat head screwdriver in between the floor board and the nail of the head and gently pushing it up and down to make the nail loose. Take note that this has to be done gently so that you will not cause any damage to the floorboard.
Step 4 - Screw It
Now that the nail has been removed, fit the screw into the hole. Note that the screw should be 5mm shorter than the nail, if the screw is longer than that it might cut into pipes or run into joists and this will cause more than creaky floor boards, so make sure of the size. If the screw is too long you can cut the ends with a pliers or a small hack saw. Once the screw is in place, you shouldn’t have any more problems with creaky floor boards. Repeat the process in other areas of the house where there are creaking noises on the floor boards.
Source: www.DoItYourself.com
