Parquet board is considered a safe and environmentally friendly building material that is used for flooring. The composition contains wood, which can be exposed to adverse and destructive factors. Therefore, after a while, you can notice a rather characteristic crunch and creak of parquet.
It is quite possible to remove unnecessary sounds, and often it is not even necessary to dismantle the parquet masonry. However, first you need to determine for what reason the parquet creak appears.
Squeak localization
Before repairing the parquet, it is important to first determine the localization of the creak. In particular, the problem may be that:
- the slats are rubbing;
- substrate lags behind concrete base;
- logs crackle.
There are quite a few reasons for the appearance and area of the appearance of an unpleasant creak. That is why, before you start fixing the problem, you need to determine its root cause as accurately as possible, and then decide how to eliminate the creaking of the parquet.
Reasons
Many people wonder why the old parquet creaks and how to solve this problem. Since it is made of wood, it can be negatively affected by various external factors. Also, a lot depends on the features of the installation, so often an unpleasant sound can appear immediately after laying such a floor. The appearance of a creak immediately after repair work can be triggered by reasons such as:
- Roughness of cement screed;
- Wrong arrangement of fiberboard materials and their loose fit to the floor;
- violation of the location of the lag and their defects;
- errors during the installation process;
- bad and low-quality substrate;
- Incorrectly selected glue or mastic.
In addition to the problems that relate to laying, one can also note a strong drying of the board, which may be due to:
- complete absence or insufficient drying of parquet boards;
- high or low humidity in the installation room, as well as frequent temperature changes;
- poor room waterproofing.
If the parquet creaks, what to do can be determined only after the exact cause of the occurrence of such a problem.
How to fix the squeak
If the panel parquet creaks, what to do, many people are interested, as this may be a sign of various defects. You can completely remove the characteristic sound by replacing the entire coating. Carrying out repair and restoration work is a rather complicated and often completely useless task. It is recommended to contact specialists who will be able to competently assess the situation and install the parquet with a guarantee.
If the parquet board is made of natural material, then after a while an unpleasant creak appears, which may be associated with installation features or high humidity. At the first signs of swelling of the parquet, it is necessary to carefully dismantle partially or completely the parquet to dry the substrate and the concrete base. Then you need to check the level of dryness of the screed. If this does not solve the problem, then the parquet may need to be replaced.
You can also use non-separable methods to fix the problem. Specifically:
- pump the adhesive mixture under the coating with a syringe;
- fix wooden elements to the base with screws;
- set the pin into the base.
Maximum benefit from these methods of removing squeaks in the room depends largely on the design of the floor and how the coating is attached.
Foundation leveling
Answering the question of what can be done so that the parquet does not creak, we can offer to work on leveling the floor base. If it is uneven or has some other defects, then after a while a creak will appear.
To prevent this, you need to accurately plan and set the required distance between the concrete base itself and the floor covering. This will prevent the occurrence of unpleasant sounds in the future. Avoiding major repairs and replacementsparquet, it is necessary to ensure fixation of problem areas.
This situation can be avoided both with high-quality mounting of the parquet board by professional craftsmen, and on your own. Most importantly, adhere to certain installation rules. If the floor base is of poor quality, then it must be completely dismantled and the following steps should be taken:
- clean the base from dirt and dust;
- wash surface with water;
- make a new coupler.
Drying of the cement composition must necessarily occur for three weeks. If the installation of a new floor covering is carried out earlier than this time, then the concrete base can quickly deform, which in the future will lead to the destruction of the parquet. At the next stage, it will be possible to proceed with the installation of the substrate and the parquet board.
After the work done, you can get rid of the squeak and extend the life of the flooring. Even the smallest difference in height can lead to a characteristic creak. To fix this issue, you need to follow steps such as:
- remove parquet;
- clean the base to remove dust and dirt;
- lay the substrate and fix it with glue;
- mount the parquet board.
Polystyrene or foam materials are recommended for backing. If you use cork or paper, then during operation they can quickly become moldy.
Executionties
What to do if the parquet in the apartment creaks with the wrong screed is of interest to many, since such a problem occurs quite often. In this case, unpleasant sounds appear a short time after the installation of the floor. It is possible to correct this situation if you perform a number of activities:
- dismantle the boards in the area of the squeak;
- drill a hole in the parquet with a diameter of 10 mm along the perimeter of the room with an interval of 1-1.5 m;
- make cement mortar and pour it into prepared holes;
- in a day, repeat the same steps.
This will help create a support for the floorboard that will fit much closer to the screed, which will ensure that there is no sound when moving around the room.
Troubleshooting parquet
Restoration of herringbone parquet is considered to be a rather laborious and lengthy task, since such a floor covering quickly breaks down and is practically beyond repair. The problem may be that the shields are not too tight to the joists, or the slats have dried out and the layers of slats have dispersed.
In the first case, you need to initially designate the location of the lag, and then screw shields tightly to them. In the corners, make holes 15-20 mm deep. Then drill holes through the shield and lag. Insert plastic spacer dowels into them, and then screw in the screws. The hat must fully fit into the plank of the parquet. Plug the remaining hole with a wooden plug and cover with putty to match the parquet. This whole procedure must be carried outonly with those shields that creak.
If individual layers of planks separate, the boards at the base may crack or split. As a result, the parquet planks begin to rub and make a squeaky sound. It is quite difficult to fix such a problem. This can only be done by replacing it.
It happens that many people neglect the requirements for leveling the floor screed. As a result, plywood is laid on an uneven floor. As a result of mechanical stress, it exfoliates from the concrete base and a characteristic creak appears.
You can fix the problem by pumping cement mortar or mounting foam under the plywood. In addition, you can screw the parquet together with the underlay to the base with screws.
If the parquet creaks, what to do - this question is of interest to many, since this sound is very annoying. Between the wooden coating and the wall there must be a seam of at least 15 mm, which goes around the entire perimeter of the room. If the installation of the parquet floor was carried out without observing this important rule, with a difference in humidity and temperature, the planks begin to put pressure on one another. To eliminate such a defect, you just need to cut off 15-20 mm of parquet and underlay along the entire perimeter of the room.
Troubleshooting other problems
When the parquet creaks strongly, not everyone knows what to do. However, it is very important to fix such a problem as soon as possible. The reason for this may be the wrong location of the lag or their insufficiently good quality. Initially, you need to carefully inspect the logs for damage. If there are no visible defects, then a thorough check for waterproofing and thermal insulation of the floor should be carried out. It is also important to know the distance between the individual lags. If it is more than 30 cm, then there may be a creak and crunch of the parquet board.
It is advisable to entrust the installation of the floor to specialists in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. Many are interested in when the parquet creaks, what to do without opening the floor. In this case, you need to fix the boards with self-tapping screws.
If the parquet board has moved away from the base, then a rather unpleasant characteristic sound may also appear. It can be a crunch, a creak, a pop. You can eliminate the existing defect by replacing the entire floor. However, there is another, easier way.
It is necessary to mark the areas of the floor where the creak is clearly heard. Tape the top to protect it from damage. Then drill holes with a drill and fill them with special glue. After it is completely dry, remove the tape from the floor surface. Put something heavy on the place where the holes were made and leave for a day. Then close the holes with materials correctly selected by shade.
Repair work
How to repair parquet so that it doesn't creak, quickly and efficiently? There are several ways to fix this kind of violation. The cardinal decision will be the complete dismantling of the old coating. To do this, the parquet is removed, the basis for laying is prepared and re-layed. The coating is then sanded andcovered with a fresh layer of varnish. Parquet overhaul is a lengthy and laborious process, which is associated with significant financial costs and takes a lot of time.
If the parquet board creaks and crunches when walking, it means that the room has a low level of humidity or high air temperature, as a result of which the coating dries out. You can get rid of cracks with puttying. You need to choose a paste so that it matches the color of the coating. Cracks must be carefully covered, not forgetting about finishing grinding and varnishing. For the restoration of parquet defects, casein glue, to which sawdust is added, is ideal.
Caring for parquet
It is important not only to know if parquet creaks, what to do, but also how to properly care for this type of flooring. Rules such as:
- carefully monitor the level of humidity at any time of the year;
- clean house regularly;
- do not allow parquet to come into contact with a large amount of liquid;
- wash the floor with a damp cloth;
- put special pads on sharp furniture legs.
Proper care of parquet is very important, as it allows you to increase the life of the flooring, eliminate crunching and creaking.
Pro Tips
In order to perform all the required installation work correctly and not involve professional builders in this, you need to consider several important recommendationsspecialists. Gradually, the fasteners weaken, resulting in crackling and creaking. This can also be due to poor fit to the joists. In case of large gaps, you can try to fix the problem with wooden wedges.
If the boards creak as a result of friction, then graphite powder can be poured into the space between them. If the boards still continue to creak even after such repair of the coating, then they can be more carefully fixed with screws.
Prevention of creaking
When parquet creaks, it is important to know what to do in such a situation, as well as keep in mind methods to prevent such a problem. It is important to take appropriate measures in a timely manner so that you do not have to do global repairs. It is also necessary to know how to lay the parquet so that it does not creak. This requires reliable and high-quality material. From wood, oak, maple, ash or beech are best suited. You should also take care of a high-quality adhesive mixture for laying parquet.
It is recommended to entrust the work of laying flooring to specialists who take into account absolutely all the nuances. It is important to ensure the evenness of the surface for the installation of parquet boards. It is best to cover the floor in the room with self-levelling compounds.
To prevent the occurrence of creaking, it is necessary to provide competent care for the parquet. Indoors, you need to create optimal conditions for this type of coverage.
