Should I fix this before I sell?

[ucodegen]

If you have a metal detector or can borrow one, it will help you locate where the floor joists are. You will be looking for where the previous nails were sunk into the flooring. You’ll need to locate them as accurately as possible and mark them (ie; placing something on the spot). When you get several, you should see it forming a line. That line should be where the joist is. Spacing between joists is 12inches or 16inches, depending on size of joist. One has to realize though, that this may not be very successful in locating where the joist is because the squeak may be caused by the fact that the contractor missed the joist when nailing the floor. Normally they use ribbed nails when doing this. These nails don’t back out and they are a royal @#$%@! to pull out if you have to. Stud finders use ultrasound, which the carpet will absorb. The ‘hammer’ technique mentioned below – kind of works through carpet.

[quote MANmom]You simply drive the screw into the subfloor, then using a tool like a screwdriver, you break off the mushroom head of the screw, leaving the first head in the subfloor and under the carpet and you can’t see it…simple fix! [/quote]
The problem with this is;

[ucodegen]

[quote=Rustico]I think taking up the carpet and using new full head screw is the best fix unless the oringinal sub-floor intallation was so sloppy that you can’t get both good plywood and good joist with a screw.[/quote]
I had to deal with this with a house we had to sell. The contractor missed the edges of the plywood vs floor joist AND didn’t get the tongue and grove on the edges locked together (end gap). This was compounded with the floor spacing being 16″ on center. Ended up putting 2x3s screwed parallel(sister’d) into the joists and then screwing down the loose end of the floor to the 2×3. The ends were fixed by crippling the floor joists at the gap with cut 4×4 posts fit between the joists and adding a short 2×4 cut and screwed into the floor joist to help support the 4×4 sections.

[ucodegen]

[quote=Rustico]I think taking up the carpet and using new full head screw is the best fix unless the oringinal sub-floor intallation was so sloppy that you can’t get both good plywood and good joist with a screw.[/quote]
I had to deal with this with a house we had to sell. The contractor missed the edges of the plywood vs floor joist AND didn’t get the tongue and grove on the edges locked together (end gap). This was compounded with the floor spacing being 16″ on center. Ended up putting 2x3s screwed parallel(sister’d) into the joists and then screwing down the loose end of the floor to the 2×3. The ends were fixed by crippling the floor joists at the gap with cut 4×4 posts fit between the joists and adding a short 2×4 cut and screwed into the floor joist to help support the 4×4 sections.

[ucodegen]

[quote=Rustico]I think taking up the carpet and using new full head screw is the best fix unless the oringinal sub-floor intallation was so sloppy that you can’t get both good plywood and good joist with a screw.[/quote]
I had to deal with this with a house we had to sell. The contractor missed the edges of the plywood vs floor joist AND didn’t get the tongue and grove on the edges locked together (end gap). This was compounded with the floor spacing being 16″ on center. Ended up putting 2x3s screwed parallel(sister’d) into the joists and then screwing down the loose end of the floor to the 2×3. The ends were fixed by crippling the floor joists at the gap with cut 4×4 posts fit between the joists and adding a short 2×4 cut and screwed into the floor joist to help support the 4×4 sections.

[ucodegen]

[quote=Rustico]I think taking up the carpet and using new full head screw is the best fix unless the oringinal sub-floor intallation was so sloppy that you can’t get both good plywood and good joist with a screw.[/quote]
I had to deal with this with a house we had to sell. The contractor missed the edges of the plywood vs floor joist AND didn’t get the tongue and grove on the edges locked together (end gap). This was compounded with the floor spacing being 16″ on center. Ended up putting 2x3s screwed parallel(sister’d) into the joists and then screwing down the loose end of the floor to the 2×3. The ends were fixed by crippling the floor joists at the gap with cut 4×4 posts fit between the joists and adding a short 2×4 cut and screwed into the floor joist to help support the 4×4 sections.

[ucodegen]

[quote=Rustico]I think taking up the carpet and using new full head screw is the best fix unless the oringinal sub-floor intallation was so sloppy that you can’t get both good plywood and good joist with a screw.[/quote]
I had to deal with this with a house we had to sell. The contractor missed the edges of the plywood vs floor joist AND didn’t get the tongue and grove on the edges locked together (end gap). This was compounded with the floor spacing being 16″ on center. Ended up putting 2x3s screwed parallel(sister’d) into the joists and then screwing down the loose end of the floor to the 2×3. The ends were fixed by crippling the floor joists at the gap with cut 4×4 posts fit between the joists and adding a short 2×4 cut and screwed into the floor joist to help support the 4×4 sections.

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