Hardwood floor makes noises

Jul 11, 2004 8 Replies
H

We just installed a prefinished hardwood floor (3/4" x 3-1/4" Australian Cypress). We layed Rosin paper on the subfloor and nailed every 12" or so using a rented floor nailer ("L" shaped nails).



The floor looks great, but it makes popping and cracking sounds when we walk on it. I can't tell if the boards themselves are cracking (maybe slightly cupped), if the nails are somehow popping, or if the tongues and grooves are somehow rubbing against each other.



We're not living in the house yet, and I'm certainly not going to take the floor up, but I'm curious if this cracking sound is normal. If so, will it always be this way, or will the cracking sounds dimenish over time?



Thanks,



Anthony


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M

You wont take it up eh . well if it makes noise now, new, it will likely make 10x more later.

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N

"HerHusband" wrote

Was the flooring acclimated to the environment b/4 installation?

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A

We had similar noises for a while the first year, but haven't noticed them at all since.

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A

If your experience is like mine, the floors will quiet down with time.

I'm assuming that you:

  1. Tapped the boards together with a rubber mallet before nailing.
  2. Didn't stand on the board being nailed.
  3. Corrected any obvious flex in the subfloor before starting.

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H

Yes, the flooring was stored in the adjoining room (no doors) for a few weeks before installation.

Yes, using a "tap block" so as not to damage the tongues. The boards all fit together nice and tight.

Correct.

New construction, 2x10 joists @ 16" OC, 12' span, 3/4" T&G plywood subfloor. Very sturdy, level, and no flex.

It really sounds like the boards themselves cracking, not rubbing or squeaking. Maybe it's just characteristic of the Australian Cypress with it's natural knots and cracks (we weeded out any boards with visible cracks)?

Anthony

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M

Nails may have split the wood if it was to hard, or nails to big. Every

12" nailing was that the recomended distance, that is extremely close.
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T

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (m Ransley) wrote in news:24731-40F2D9F8-439@storefull-

3131.bay.webtv.net:

'Settling' is not uncommon, it has scared me several times on unfinished but was gone after sanding. Seems to happen more on the harder species. 12" is not recommended nailing schedule, 8-10" min if I recall NWFA standards correctly. I do about 6" routinely as long as the tongue does not split. You cannot have too many nails (if it doesn't split.)

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H

Well, from what I've been reading here, I guess I shouldn't worry about the cracking sounds. Our floors are prefinished, so hopefully the cracking sound will decrease over time.

The various references I had recommended 10" to 12" nailing. But, the Australian Cypress has a lot of natural cracks anyway, and the tongues wanted to split if I nailed any closer than 12".

Anthony

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