Can a rookie hope to be successful at......

[Mike]

Can a rookie hope to be successful at pulling up the carpet in a few places in the upstairs of our house, screwing the subfloor to the joists to hopefully eliminate some nagging squeaks, and then putting the carpet back using a carpet stretcher (having never used one, hope to rent one) and make it look as good as it does now? Some of these squeaks are just driving me to distraction and I need to fix them. I addressed most of the squeaks on the main floor by going to the basement and putting shims between the subfloor and the joist in the offending area. I know there is a product for eliminating squeaks under carpeted floors, special screws that you can drill in and then snap the head off, but I worry about damaging the berber carpet.

Thanks for any guidance/advice.

Mike

[Big_Jake]

Nope.

JK

[Oren]

I'm not a doctor about you're success; but yes you can do this.

An easy try is to sink one screw where needed - Do Not catch this screw on the carper pile or you will have torn carpet.

Leave the head on the screw, snug to the jute . Allow the carpet to cover the screw head and "jewt" :)

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

[BobK207]

Mike-

What's under the carpet? If its just plywood subfloor, I'd try my

16 gage brad nailer thru the carpet. Crank up the pressure, get the nailer shoe down thru the pile & shoot at an angle.

If its hardwood floor under the carpet, consider the possibility that sometime in the future you might be ripping up that carpet & going back to a nice hardwood floor. Would you rather have a few small brad holes or big screw holes?

JMHO but I wouldn't ruin a hardwood floor by doing a cheap & dirty fix.

In order for any fix to work you've got to get the fasteners into the floor joists.

Ask around, maybe you can find a carpet guy who will reset your carpet on the way home from work. Do it at his convenience and you'll probably get it done for a reasonable cost.

cheers Bob

[Mike]

Thanks for the info, Bob. There is plywood under the carpet, so I have no concern using screws, though I'll consider a brad nailer like you suggested. I'm leaning toward screws though, so I won't have to worry about them eventually pulling out and squeaking again. There is one bad spot near my wife's side of the bed and she will NOT try to step around it. Grrrrrrr.

Mike

[Oren]

The first screw goes into the floor :-))

Start there!

As to the carpet and the squeaks; and I forgot to mention, cut a small (tiny) "X" in the carpet (bottom) to allow a screw past the carpet. Screw down the plywood...

No brad nailer, whatsoever!

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

[aemeijers]

Nobody else said it, so I will- 'Ask this old house', a year or so back, demonstrated break-away screws and a drilling jig designed for this exact purpose. Didn't look like it would be absurdly expensive. Uses a standard drill with a driver bit- the jig holds the screw square to the floor, and the screw breaks off flush below carpet backer level when the threaded part bottoms out. They claim it is bare-feet safe. Can't remember the company name, but their web site probably has it- search on 'squeeky floors' or something.

aem sends...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I've seen it on the TV show and they do have the information on their web page. Simple enough of an operation that anyone with a drill can do.

[Meat Plow]

Give it a try if it annoys you enough.

[BobK207]

really loves it."

Oren -

Why?

[mm]

A generally good technique, probably good whenever one is nailing something he doesn't plan to take apart, is to put the nails in at an angle, and near to each other at opposite angles. I've never done a floor, but using a floor as a possible example, while the floor, when people walked on it, would go down and up and on one nail, pushing the nail head up, the second nail would be at an angle to that travel and would keep the floor from moving.

It won't be able to move on the second nail, because the first will prevent it.

[Oren]

[jJim McLaughlin]

I have this vague memory of seeing an "Ask This Old House" segment within the last year - 18 months where they dealth with this issue. Long and short, there is a screw system which goes in with a standard power screw driver that has a snap off head that goees right through the carpet and plywood subfloor into the floor joists. Screw gets ssnapped off level with the top of the plywood floor, never shows through the pa or carpet.

Probably won't work on hardwood floors.

You may want to google for the ATOH web site and search that site for the segment.

[BobK207]

really loves it."

Oren-

I totally agree with your concern about brads in general not have much resistance to withdrawal.....screws are much better.

But having been in situations were I had to use a brad nailer, I learned that if you get the two pieces that you are fastening butted together & then shoot a couple of brads at opposing angles you can get a very tight connection. Shot a decent angle the brads work aginast each other in shear rather than withdrawal alone.

Besides brads go in so easy! Bang, bang, bang; you're done

If you have a 15 or 16 gage brad nailer you can do an easy test by "toenailing" a piece to plywood to a 2x on edge......use straight shots on one sample & the opposing angle technique on another. Then try to pry the assemblies apart. The straight shots will come apart rather easily, the angle shot much harder.

In the OP's squeaking floor situation he only need to resist ~100 lbs or so. Four brads (2 in each direction) should do the trick. He should, however, force the subfloor while shooting the brads.

Long winded post, brads can be made to work but screws are better. If its just plywood subfloor & not a hardwood floor I'd use screws...hardwood, I'd give the brads a shot . :)

cheers Bob