How to Fix Squeaking Carpeted Floors

Floors that become dried out can begin to squeak. The dried flooring can force the nails in the subfloor to loosen and pop out. The subfloor and the floor joist could then begin to separate and squeak whenever someone walks on the flooring. Carpeted floors that squeak require special help to fix the irritating sounds. Be sure to be careful as you work so as not to damage any of the wood below the carpet.

What You'll Need:

• Rubber mallet
•  Masking tape
•  Drill
•  Carpet repair kit

 

Step 1 - Locate the Squeaky Areas

Slowly walk over the flooring until you locate the areas where the squeaking sounds occur. If possible, have someone help you to make the job easier.

Step 2 - Mark the Squeaky Areas

Tear off strips of the masking tape. Use the strips of tape to mark off the squeaky floor areas you have found.

Step 3 - Locate the Floor Joist

Use the rubber mallet to tap the floor in the areas you have marked with the tape. As you tap the floor, listen for a dull sound. This will indicate the location of the floor joist.

Step 4 - Drill a Test Hole in the Floor

Use the drill to make a hole in the location of the floor joist. You will know whether you have located the joist by the movement of the drill bit. If the bit slides through the floor, you have not found the joist. If it gets stuck within the flooring, you have found the joist. You will need to continue until you are able to find the floor joist on both sides of the squeaky floor area. Most floor joists are installed sixteen inches apart.

Step 5 - Insert the Depth Control Device

The carpet repair kit should contain a depth control device and the necessary snap off screws. Insert the device into the carpet in the location of the floor joist near the squeaky floor area.

Step 6 - Insert the Drive Screw

Insert the screw into the depth control device. Push the screw until the stop guard is reached. Secure the screw through the device with your screwdriver. When you have reached the stop guard, the screw will be visible about the carpet.

Step 7 - Remove the Depth Control Device

Take the depth control device out of the floor. Slide the slotted edge of the device over the screw. Turn the device onto its side and then slide the slotted end of it over the screw.

Step 8 - Remove the Screw Head

Snap the depth control device toward the floor, breaking the head off of the screw. Snap the device again toward the floor. This will force the screw under the carpet.

Step 9 - Finish the Screw Installation

Continue forcing the screws, one foot apart, into the floor joists on both sides of the squeaky floor areas. You will need to continue to work about two feet beyond each of the squeaky areas.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Transition Wooden Floors to Tile Floors

With proper preparation, wooden floors can be transitioned to tile floors. Tile floors may be preferable to a wooden floor in cases where it would not be cost effective to refinish the wooden floor, or in cases where a tile floor is more durable to the type of traffic a floor receives, such as animals or children with wet and muddy feet.

What You'll Need:

• An electric floor sander
•  Wood putty or wood filler
•  Putty knife
•  Shop vacuum or vacuum cleaner
•  1 1/2 inch long 3/8 inch wood screws
•  Screwdriver
  

Step 1 - Determining if the Wooden Floor Will Work for Tile

Look to see if the wooden flooring is on top of sub flooring or laying directly on the floor joists. The combined thickness should be 1 to 1 ½ inches thick. If it isn’t at least 1 inch thick, you will have to add plywood to the flooring.

Step 2 - Preparing the Room

It is easier to lay tile with all the furniture out of the room. Baseboards should be removed so that tile can be installed up to the wall.

Step 3 - Preparing the Floor

If the wooden floor is directly on the floor joists, and is not at least 1 inch thick, you may have to add plywood before laying tile. If you have to lay plywood, make sure the floor is level and straight before installing the plywood. Fill in any holes or cracks with wood putty or filler.

Use an outdoor grade of 5/8 inch plywood and place each sheet 1/8 inch apart to allow for expansion of the wood. Screw the plywood into the wooden flooring and the floor joists.

If you are installing ceramic tile, you will also have to place cement backer board on top of the plywood or the wooden floor. This is a type of thin drywall specifically used for ceramic tile. Ceramic tile does not adhere well to wood. Cement backer board is installed 1/8 inch apart and the cracks are filled in with silicon before laying ceramic tile.

Step 4 - Sanding the Floor and Applying Adhesive

Whether laying plywood or using the wood flooring, you will have to sand the floor. The floor must be smooth, level and straight to keep tile from cracking. Vacuum the floor after sanding and make sure it is clean.

Be sure to check with the manufacturer on the type of adhesive that should be used with whatever type of tile you choose. Work in small areas at a time and finish in sections. That way, you can take breaks to relax your knees and back.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Edwardian Floor Restoration Tips from Birmingham Tiling Expert

The customer from Bearwood, near Smethwick had recently moved in and during renovations discovered an original 100-year-old Edwardian tiled floor in the hallway which had covered under laminate. They were planning some structural changes to the hallway involving a new stud wall but decided to investigate having the tiled floor restored first and were keen to know if anything could be done to improve its condition.

   

I visited the property to Survey the floor and could see given its age the floor was in good physical condition although there was a small amount of cracked tiles. Fortunately, laminate flooring is laid as a floating floor so there were no glue or screw holes to deal with. The Vestibule area however was in a worse state and had been covered in all sorts of cement screed, adhesive, grout, and God knows what. 

Confident I could resolve the problems I worked out a quote which was accepted and a date was set for the work to begin.

 

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Hallway

The first day was used to make repairs to the floor, in one of the corners the floor was sloping away and had some sort of silicon filler installed where tiles had once been. After resolving the sub floor problems, I managed to level it out and used matching replacement tiles to complete this and a couple of other repairs.

   

This left the vestibule part of the floor which as mentioned earlier was in a quite a state. To remove the mess, it took a day of scraping using several Tile Doctor products including Grout Clean-up, Acid Gel, a steamer and a lot of effort.

     

Once complete I moved onto the cleaning by spraying Tile Doctor Remove and Go onto the tiles and then scrubbing it in with a Silicon Carbide pad fitted to a weighted rotary floor machine. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil extracted using a wet vacuum.

Old floors like this example were laid before the invention of damp proof membranes and so you can get a lot of moisture rising through the tiles. This can lead to efflorescence as the moisture evaporates at the surface. To counter this problem the whole floor was treated to an acid rinse using more Acid Gel scrubbed in with a 400-grit burnishing pad.

The floor was then rinsed, towel dried off and air movers put in place for an hour to help dry it out. Then before finishing for the day, I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil to help bring the colour through in the tiles. I also left the air movers to run for a few hours to help dry the floor out.

   

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I returned the next day to seal the floor however when I tested to moisture reading beforehand, I found the reading to be higher than expected and after cleaning and drying the floor there were still traces of moisture. Because of this I recommended that we seal the floor using a fully breathable sealer that could cope with any excess moisture.

Happy to go with my advice the floor was sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor X-Tra seal allowing each coat to dry for thirty minutes before applying the next. X-Tra can be used internally and externally and provides excellent protection so was well suited. After drying I polished the floor with a very fine 3000-grit burnishing pad to add a natural sheen to the tiles.

   

I think you will agree the pictures show the transformation the floor and as you can imagine my client was very happy with the result. Before leaving I left the customer with a bottle of pH neutral cleaner to maintain the floor, we recommend using a mild cleaning product for after cleaning as it helps preserve the life of the sealer. You need to be very careful with supermarket floor cleaning products, most are bleached based and simply too strong for use on a sealed floor.

   

Source: Victorian Floor Cleaning and Restoration Service in Birmingham

Maintaining Outdoor Polypropylene Rugs

 Polypropylene rugs may be used both indoors and outdoors and are a practical choice. Even if these types of rugs are more durable, the ones that are kept outdoors are prone to additional wear and tear and should be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.

What You'll Need:

• Vacuum
•  Detergent
•  Water
•  Water hose
•  Soft sponge or brush
•  Pieces of cloth

Clean the Rugs

To maintain your polypropylene rugs, you should clean them regularly using a water hose. Vacuum the area first and then use detergent and water to wash the surface. For more resistant spots, scrub the area. Dry with pieces of cloth or allow to air dry.

Make sure you remove all detergent from the rug, as otherwise the area may become sticky and attract dirt.

Remove Dust and Debris

You may also remove dust and debris from the polypropylene rugs, without having to wash the rugs every time. Use a broom or simply shake the rugs.

Always Dry Rugs

If the carpets get wet, you will have to dry them or wash them first and then allow them to dry. If you have snow during winter, the rugs shouldn’t be kept outdoors.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com