Squeaky chipboard floors

You won't be able to lift the chipboard floor without breaking the tongue / groove joint. I would just put extra screws around the floor. I had a section which would not stop squeaking no matter how many screws I inserted. It was a section of board which ran under a stud wall. I cut out about a foot square of the board, glued and screwed a noggin brace between the floor joists then glued and screwed the cut board back in place - obviously had to fit more timber onto the existing boards to support the cut piece.

I also raked out the tongue and groove joint with an old screwdriver, creating a small channel (about 2mm). I then put wood glue in the groove and brushed in the crap I raked out. Seems to have stopped some squeaks in certain areas.

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Squeaking is due to bending and differential movement, with one piece sliding over another under force. Take up the entire floor, that can be done without breaking things, and either stiffen up the joist structure, use thicker chip if its 12mm, or glue the chip back down to make a stressed box structure.

How about dusting talc down the T&G joints?

As a matter of interest, why is this? Or are the skirting boards added after the floor is put down?

What about putting some heavy duty polthene sheet along each joist, so that you stop it being chipboard rubbing against wood.

Personally I find such squeaking to be highly irritating and would love to know a foolproof way of fixing it.

In our first house the upstairs walls were added after the floor was put down. I was kind of surprised when I spilt some turps in one room, and it ran under the wall into the carpet in the next one!

Andy

Piers Finlayson explained :

Put extra screws in where it might help - but run a vacuum along all of the joints and trickle/brush talc in.