Creating a home with all the facilities and excellent accessories is challenging. While choosing the essential parts and furniture, people must pay huge attention to details like durability and strength, as these are one-time investments, and one has to spend a lot of money on them. The flooring is one of the most important parts of a newly built home. Nowadays, many different types of floors on the market look great and are reasonably priced.
Laminate floors are among the common and in-demand flooring types. Laminate flooring is an excellent choice for homes because it comes in various designs that look great on home floors. However, there are some drawbacks to laminate floor tiles, one of which is creaking floors. Here is how you can solve the problem of laminate creaking:
1. One Can Use Talcum Powder To Stop The Creaking
The creaking of laminate floors is an annoying experience, as every time you step on the floor, it makes a noise. One of the biggest reasons for floor creaking is heat expansion in the floor. Due to the seasonal change, the temperature beneath the floor tiles keeps changing, which leads to the expansion of the tiles. This expansion creates gaps between the floor tiles and underlayment material.
The creaking of the floor does not signify a structural problem, but it still needs a solution to stop the creaking sound. One of the best solutions to stop the creaking in laminate flooring is talcum powder. Various reasons can cause this problem, like seasonal change, poor installation technique of floor tiles, or bad quality material for creating the foundation. All of them can create gaps in floor tiles.
One can easily stop the creaking by applying talcum powder to the floor. People can spread the powder all over the floor surface and between the tiles so that it can stop the creaking properly. People can use a brush to sprinkle the powder properly without directly contacting the powder material. Before applying the powder to the floor, individuals should clean the area so that the dust and dirt particles can be removed.
Spreading powder on the surface gives better results when the surface does not have dust and dirt particles. Also, people should cover the surface after applying the talcum powder, as it can cause slipperiness. People can cover the floor with the help of a carpet or rug. This is an excellent tip, as the powder is easily available at an affordable price.
2. One Can Use Construction Adhesive To Stop Creaking
Another process that can help with the creaking issue is the application of construction adhesive to the floor. These construction adhesives are applied between the tiles and the underfloor material to fill the gap between them.
After drying, these adhesives seal the gap, preventing creaking in the laminate floors. In this process, the person has to lift the tiles and apply the glue or adhesive properly. While applying the adhesive, it is vital to reach the floor joists so that the floor’s foundation can be fixed.
To do this process, it is best to take the help of experts, as one can only perform some of the steps, including lifting the tiles, applying the adhesive, placing the tiles, and locking them properly. While locking the pieces back after applying the adhesive, it is important to pay attention to the placement of floor parts as, after drying, one cannot change the positions of the tiles. Also, one has to select the proper equipment to apply the glue material.
Individuals can do that with the help of their hands, but the adhesive has components that can cause skin irritation, so it’s better to use equipment like a putty knife to do that. If you are performing the process by yourself, then make sure to get the help of other people so that you can fit the tiles properly. The process of applying adhesive is only successful if the individual has installed great-quality laminate flooring in the house.
Various low-quality and duplicate laminate flooring materials are available on the market that is manufactured to look like the original material. As responsible buyers, people should check the quality of the material before buying it for the flooring process. The application of adhesive is a short-term solution. Still, it can give wonderful results if the quality of the tile material is great and if it has high strength and durability.
3. Another Useful Tip Is To Fix The Issues Of The Subfloor
One of the most common reasons for creaking in laminate flooring is the unevenness of the subfloor. The subfloor is the main structural part of the floor and provides a strong foundation for the floor finish. It provides rigidity to the floor, allowing it to hold heavy weights and pressure.
The subfloor is a surface on which the laminate floor is applied and locked to give it a fine finish.
Subfloors like plywood and oriented strand board are usually used in laminate flooring. Both materials are great in quality and strength, but high loads can cause the subfloor to become unstable. This unevenness sometimes causes creaking in the surface. Individuals can solve this problem by removing the surface tile and screwing the subfloor. The screws can hold the subfloor correctly and remove the creaking.
It can be the case that creaking is present only in a small area and not on the whole floor. In this case, individuals can apply the fixing techniques only to that portion. One can remove that part to investigate the cause of the creaking and find appropriate solutions. While screwing the floor, use wood screws for the best results. As the screws look weird on the surface, one can use putty to cover them.
The screwing method works best when it is done by a professional, as they know how deep the screw hole should be and how to fasten the screw strongly. One can perform this by themselves, but a professional’s help is a better idea. This is a permanent solution to the creaking issue with laminate flooring.
Conclusion
Laminate floors are ideal for homes and professional spaces as they have all the required qualities like strength, durability, and rigidity. Apart from that, they are highly scratch- and stain-resistant. As they are available at an affordable cost, many people prefer to install them in their spaces. But creaking can be an issue with this type of flooring.
Fortunately, many simple methods, such as talcum powder, construction adhesive, and surface screwing, can quickly resolve this issue. The best part is that the person does not have to replace the whole flooring for this, as it is a minor issue that can be treated easily. The tips mentioned above can help in fixing the creaking issue.
