Have your floorboards become loose and Creaky?

Over time, floorboards can become loose and creaky, or they can start to look worn and old. If your floorboards are worn, don’t worry – you can easily restore them to their original glory. It is normal for floorboards to need some love and attention after a few years of use – after all, they get walked on every day!

Image Credit

Repairing your floorboards is often much cheaper and more time efficient than replacing them completely, but it is important to do some research before you get started. Here’s everything that you need to know about repairing your floorboards.

Treating rotten flooring

You may notice that your wooden flooring has lots of small holes in it. This is normally caused by either woodworm or dry rot, and depending on the problem you may need to call a specialist for help. According to Aviva, you can make the repairs yourself if they are due to the Common Furniture Beetle, but if the holes are caused by the House Longhorn Beetle or the Deathwatch Beetle, you will need to hire professionals as they can cause structural damage. The same applies to dry rot.

Check the holes to see if they are recent or not. If they’re dark in colour it is likely that they were treated in the past. If there is dust around the hole, it is a sign of a recent or current infestation, and you should treat it immediately.

If the holes are caused by the Common Furniture Beetle, you can fix the floors yourself with some timber treatment. Simply put on some gloves and pour the treatment into a pot. Pull up each floorboard that shows signs of woodworm and paint both sides with the treatment before replacing the floorboard.

Creaking floorboards

There are two ways to fix creaking floorboards. If the floorboard is still in good condition, you can take out the nails and re-screw the boards. If the boards are damaged, you can buy new floorboards to replace the damaged ones. Alternatively, consider buying engineered wood flooring, as this is affordable and long-lasting.  This is normally the case when you head into your attic space as there can be damp in the air which lifts the boards and creates creaking.  The roof is generally the main source of water due to tiny holes that have occurred over time. If you are looking at repairing your floor I would first start by repairing the holes in the roof with roof sealant sourced from sites like https://www.ct1.com/product-applications/ct1-the-ultimate-roof-sealant/.

Before you start drilling, you need to check underneath the floorboards for cables and pipes. If you find any, make a mark in pencil on the floorboard so you know to avoid drilling there.