Page 8 - ProInstaller March-April 2022

Wood:

Correcting Squeaks, Popping, Crunching

and Hollow Sounds in Hardwood

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President Technical Standards, Training & Certification

ne of the telltale ways to differentiate real wood • For wood subflooring systems:
floors from lookalike products is how they sound • Loss of fastener holding power resulting from a
Owhen walked upon. Real wood floors have a reduction in moisture within the wood subflooring
distinctive sound in response to foot traffic, while imitation system.
wood floors tend to produce a plastic or hollow sound.
• Improper subflooring material that will not hold
fasteners adequately.
• Weak subfloor or subfloor system.
• Foundation or support pillar settlement.
• Water-damaged subflooring, as follows:
• Plywood can swell, distort, and delaminate
when exposed to high moisture levels,
impacting fastener holding power.
• OSB can swell when exposed to water,
decreasing density and reducing within-board
There are times, however, when wood floors produce strength, which impacts fastener holding power.
sounds that may not be considered normal. The key to • Improper spacing between abutting wood
determining this is to first identify the cause of the sound, subfloor panels.
then evaluate whether the noise is considered normal
within industry standards—and if not, resolve how to fix it. • Improper or missing adhesive between the wood
subfloor panel and joist systems.
Squeaking, Popping and/or Crunching Sounds • Improperly driven nails or screws in wood subfloor
Identification panels.
Squeaking, popping, or crunching sounds are audible • Noisy or missing tongue and groove in subflooring
noises that are produced either within the wood floor itself material.
or from within the flooring system. • Improper joist spacing/panel thickness
combination.
Causes • Deformed or fractured joists.
Squeaking, popping, and crunching sounds can have a
variety of causes:
• Old age of the floor and/or structure.
• Wood flooring installed while not in equilibrium with
the end-use environment.
• Incorrectly milled flooring that has loose tongue and
groove engagement.

Adding Adhesive to Hollow Spots Photos courtesy of National Wood Flooring Association
• Ductwork rubbing against the underside of the
wood subfloor.
• Delamination of plywood material.
• Screed/sleeper systems out of flatness tolerances.
Fastener blowout
Continued
8 PROINSTALLER MAGAZINE • MARCH/APRIL 2022