Got a email with an article about fixing a squeaking bed and figured it would be an even better idea to put together a few articles (that are being reposted and credited, including links) to deal with a homes most common annoying squeaking problems.
SQUEAKING BED: 15 Easy Fixes for a Squeaky Bed by Bob Vila: (https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-squeaky-bed/)
By: Tony Carrick, Bob Vila Staff
Tossing and turning because of the incessant creaks and squeaks your bed is making? Here’s how to get some peace.
We (Bob Vila) may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Few things can rob us of much-needed sleep like a squeaky bed. Because these noises can come from a variety of sources, they can be notoriously difficult to troubleshoot. Faulty springs in an innerspring mattress (or in the accompanying box spring mattress) are sometimes the culprits. In other instances, the problem isn’t the mattress or box spring at all, but loose connections in the bed frame. Squeaks can even be caused by the bed’s feet rubbing against the floor! Wherever the noises are coming from, the following methods will help you get rid of the bed squeaking so you can finally get some rest.
1. Tighten up loose joints.
Tightening the screw
Photo: istockphoto.com
Loose joints are a common cause of a squeaky bed. So if you’re curious about how to stop a bed from squeaking, be sure to check all the bolts on your bed frame to see if they might be the source of your problem. If any bolts are loose, use a wrench to tighten them. If you cannot manage to tighten a bolt securely, add a washer between the frame and the bolt to ensure a snug (and noise-free) fit.
2. Use socks to line bed slats.
Cold winter weather may require socks worn to bed to keep your feet warm, a wintertime concept.
Photo: istockphoto.com
This trick will help you make use of some of your mismatched socks: First, lift the mattress off the bed frame, then line each slat of the frame with old socks (a sheet or an old T-shirt works too). The additional fabric serves as a buffer between the mattress and the metal or wood bed frame, which eliminates any friction points and muffles noises.
3. Apply wax to squeaky spots.
Testing the Mattress for the bed.
Photo: istockphoto.com
If you can identify the exact spot that the squeak is coming from, you can quash it with a little wax. An easy way to locate the noisy spot is to move slowly across the bed, listening closely for the squeaky spot. Once you’ve located the joint that’s causing problems, rub a wax candle rub over the contact points. It may take a few coats of wax to get rid of the bed squeaking sound.
4. Lubricate bed joints with WD-40.
WD-40 with metal bed frame
Photo:
istockphoto.com
Here’s where a fully stocked garage will come in handy: Once you’ve located the noisy spot in your bed, use WD-40 to lubricate the joint that’s making the noise. If you don’t have any WD-40 on hand, vegetable oil will work in a pinch. Of course, this method works only if your bed frame is metal. Before you start spraying, lay an old towel or rag on the floor under the bed to catch drips and protect the floor or carpet. I have researched and can also advise of the following options, in addition to WD-40 and vegetable oil, as follows:
These same alternatives can come in handy for solving other squeaky issues (see bonus section at end of this blog post.)
5. Cushion loose spots with cork.
Photo: istockphoto.com
If you have a wooden bed frame, you don’t really have any bolts to tighten or joints to grease. Instead, try wedging small bits of cork between the mattress and the portions of the bed frame from where the squeak emanates. (You can also place cork around the pegs.) The cork cushioning will help tighten any loose spots and reduce noise.
6. Ensure your bed is on even flooring.
Low angle shot from under the bed showing my slippers, cuddly toy and trendy wallpaper. Lots of room to add text etc.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Don’t rule out the possibility that the squeak in your bed could actually be caused by uneven floorboards or the legs of your bed frame. Even things out by slipping a towel or folded sheet under the legs of the frame to ensure that they all touch the floor. Another option is to relocate your bed to a spot where the floorboards are even.
7. Place a book beneath the mattress.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Once you’ve found the part of the bed frame responsible for the offending squeak, place a hard object, such as a book, beneath the mattress in that exact spot. You may have to test a couple of places to get it right. Once you do, you should notice a reduction in noise and, with a good-quality mattress, you shouldn’t experience a decline in sleeping comfort.
8. Utilize caster cups for squeaky wheels.
Photo: Amazon.com
If casters under the bed frame are responsible for the squeaks, you’re in luck. The fix couldn’t be easier. Stop by your local hardware store and pick up rubber caster cups to put beneath each wheel. For as little as $2 each, they’ll reduce the noise from those squeaky wheels—and fast.
9. Oil your box springs.
Photo: istockphoto.com
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why does my bed creak when I move?” Try this. Flip over the box spring, then cut a small hole in the fabric that covers the springs. Spray WD-40 on each individual spring (or anywhere there’s metal) to lubricate the areas that could be causing the squeaks. Use a stapler to reseal the backing, and put the box spring and mattress back on the frame.
10. Rotate your mattress.
Photo: istockphoto.com
By flipping the head of the mattress to the foot of the bed, you can slightly alter the way weight balances on the bed frame. Sometimes that’s all that it takes to eliminate a squeak. After you’ve rotated your mattress, give it a quick test. If the squeak is gone, stretch back and relax—you may now get a well-deserved night’s rest.
11. Try placing plywood between the mattress and bed frame.
Photo: istockphoto.com
If that squeak persists, try placing a piece of ¼-inch plywood between the mattress and the bed frame. The squeak will stiffen the mattress, minimizing pressure on any bad springs in the box spring so they can’t flex and squeak.
RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Full-Size Mattresses
12. Place felt tape on a wood bed frame.
Photo: Amazon.com
A wooden bed frame has two pieces of wood called stringers that connect to the foot board and headboard with a metal hook. When the bed moves, the stringers rub the headboard and foot board, causing the offending noise. Adding felt tape to the areas where the stringers make contact with the foot board and headboard should eliminate the noise.
13. Top your mattress.
Photo: istockphoto.com
If you can’t locate and eliminate the squeak, try using a mattress topper to create a buffer. Most squeaks are caused by pressure placed on an inner spring. A mattress topper absorbs much of the pressure before it reaches that faulty spring. The added layer will also help muffle the sound of the squeak.
RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Upholstered Beds of 2023
14. Invest in a memory foam mattress.
Healthy sleeping concept. Selective focus at part of new orthopedic mattress with memory foam or coconut fiber. Comfortable bed in hotel room and modern apartment
Photo: istockphoto.com
If all else fails and the squeak is keeping you up at night, it might be time to replace the noisy mattress and squeaky box spring. Consider getting a memory foam mattress for your next bed. Memory foam doesn’t use inner springs or a box spring, so you won’t have to worry about a noisy mattress.
15. Replace damaged nails and screws.
Photo: istockphoto.com
One common reason for a squeaky bed frame is a problem with the screws. If stripped or damaged, screws can cause bed squeaks because they fail to hold the bed together securely. Removing any damaged nails or screws and replacing them with new ones of the same size and type may resolve the problem.
FLOORS: How to Fix Squeaky Floors
How to Fix Squeaky Floors from a Home Depot Blogpost (https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-fix-squeaky-floors/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90ad245bee)
Getting rid of a squeaking hardwood floor. Difficulty Intermediate
Duration
Under 2 hours
Though they are a nuisance, squeaky floors and stairs can be fixed quickly and affordably. Floors and stairs squeak when wooden floorboards or structural elements rub against each other, when the bridging between joists flexes under traffic or when floorboards have not been properly nailed to the subfloor.
Learning how to fix squeaky floors is simply a matter of determining which area the problem is coming from. Depending on the type of creaky floors you have, your technique could change.
This guide will teach you how to fix squeaky floors with simple but thorough step-by-step instructions.
1. Understand Squeaky Floors and the Job Ahead
Person walking on hardwood flooring.
Often, problems with squeaky floors are due to the loosening of the hardware holding the floor in place. When nails or screws no longer fit tightly, boards can rub together. That noise you hear is the sound produced by rubbing.
The design of your home will help determine how to address the squeak. This guide starts with a quick method to fix a squeaky floor that you can use anywhere. You can move on to the other steps if it doesn't stop the sound.
However, some of the following steps may not be possible in your house. If you have a finished basement, skip steps 4 through 6 because you need access to the underside of the floor to do them. Step 7 will be the best starting point for you if you can’t get to the bottom of the floor.
For squeaky floors below carpeting, move on to Step 8.
2. Lubricate Hardwood Floors
Person using lubricant on a floor
Lubricating hardwood floors is a quick and easy way to stop squeaks. To lubricate means to add a substance that reduces friction, and the product you use to lubricate is a lubricant.
Simply cutting down on friction may be enough to stop the squeak. Give it a try by sprinkling a powdered graphite lubricant over the squeaky spot. Cover the powder with paper towels, so it stays in place.
Put on your shoes and use your feet to move the lubricant into the grooves between the flooring. Move your foot back and forth and in circles for a few minutes.
Still hear the squeak? Repeat the process two or three or more times. If the sound is still there, go on to the next step.
Tip: Use a handheld vacuum cleaner to clean up any leftover lubricant.
3. Pinpoint the Source of the Squeak
Person stepping on hardwood flooring
First, find a helper to continue fixing a squeaky floor. You’ll need their assistance locating the squeak.
Have your helper stay upstairs and walk on the squeaky spot while you head to the basement. Stand on a step ladder and use a flashlight to locate the area of the squeak.
Check out the squeaky spot. Sometimes, a long nail that installers left exposed can cause the sound. You’ll usually be able to spot a problem nail right away because it will be visible beside the wood.
If you see one, use a pair of bolt cutters to cut it off close to the ceiling. See if this fixes the problem and move on to the next step if the sound continues.
4. Fill in Gaps with a Shim
Someone filling a gap with a shim.
Instead of a rubbing nail, a gap between the joists and the subfloor may be to blame. The joists are the beams that run below the floor, and the subfloor is the wood that goes on top. Together, the joists and the subfloor support the hardwood floors.
When someone walks over the floor in a spot where there’s a space, the subfloor may push down and rub against the joists. Then, you hear the end result as that squeak.
Filling in the gap could stop the noise. To do it, you’ll use a small piece of wood called a shim. Put a little construction adhesive on one end of the shim. Then, slide the shim into the gap.
If the shim doesn’t slip into place easily, tap it with a claw hammer. Try not to pound, as this could damage the floor.
You only need to get the shim in an inch or two. It’s not necessary to slide the shim all the way in. In fact, forcing the whole thing into the gap could worsen the squeak.
5. Drive Screws from Below
For a squeak in just one spot not caused by a gap, try driving in screws from below.
Use a power drill make a pilot hole through the subfloor. Then, drill a second smaller pilot hole through the hardwood floor into the subfloor.
Have your helper stand in the spot while you drive the screws in with an electric screwdriver.
Tip: Be sure you use short screws to avoid having to repair damage if the screw comes through the top of the finished flooring.
6. Cleat the Subfloor
If you see two or more subfloor boards moving when your helper walks, bracing the floor may help the squeak. Bracing means to add another piece of wood to support the floor, so boards move less.
To brace, start by measuring the area with a tape measure. Then, cut a 1x4 to the correct length with a circular saw. Use an electric screwdriver to drive drywall screws into the lumber at each end.
Another approach is to use steel bridging. Bridging is a long metal support that goes under the subfloor. It comes in various sizes, so choose the length that fits your floor. Then, nail it into place below the subfloor boards.
Safety Tip: Wear eye and hearing protection when working with power tools.
7. Drive Screws from Above
If you can’t access the subfloor through the basement, try driving screws into the floor from above.
First, drill small pilot holes into the hardwood floor at an angle. Put the hole at least 1/2 inch away from the board's edge for best results. Go through the floor but not into the subfloor.
Apply pressure and drive trim screws through the pilot holes into the subflooring. The head should end up below the surface. Fill in the hole with wood filler in a color that matches the floor.
STAIRS:
How to Silence Your Squeaky Stairs--From This Old House(https://www.thisoldhouse.com/stairs/21015214/how-to-fix-squeaky-stairs)
Tired of squeaky steps? Identify the source of sound and learn how to fix it to get quiet stairs.
By This Old House
There are lots of reasons why you don’t want your stairs to squeak. It announces to the entire family, for one, when you’re heading down to the kitchen in the dark for a midnight snack. Not to mention the fact that it can be a bit spooky in the dark. So unless you rely on your stairs to let you know about tardy teenagers coming home past their curfew, you probably find the squeaking a constant irritation.
It takes dozens of separate pieces to build a hardwood staircase. Stairs are made up of treads and risers—the flat steps and vertical kick plates you can see—as well as stringers, the saw-tooth pieces of wood that support the stairs from underneath.
Why Do Stairs Squeak?
With all the wooden parts, it’s pretty much inevitable that stairs will eventually start to squeak. Unlike our own ever-tightening joints, age tends to bring looseness in stairs. This causes the wooden treads to rub against the risers and stringers, and all of it to grind against the nails and screws that hold it all together.
In addition to simply being walked on, seasonal contractions and expansions of the wood further contribute to the loosening of the joints.
It can all add up to a heck of a racket. Stairs that were constructed with glue in addition to nails and screws—less common the older your house is—generally are less prone to squeaking, but wear and time do tend to take their toll.
So what do you do to beat the squeak? Most of the time it really isn’t a difficult problem to fix.
The noise doesn’t mean your stairs are necessarily about to fall down; they just need tightening up. We’ll teach you how to fix squeaky stairs, but first, let’s talk location.
Identify Where the Squeak Is Coming From
The anatomy of a staircase:
There are some repairs that involve fastening wood blocks or brackets from underneath, which is good on the one hand because your fix will be invisible. But not everyone has access to the underside of their stairs, and in most cases, tightening on the topside will do the trick.
Test Each Step that Squeaks:
First you need to identify where exactly within the step the noise is coming from. Most likely, either the tread is knocking or rubbing against the riser board, the tread has come loose from one or more of its stringers, or both.
Pro2ProTip: Keep in mind that this project will be much easier if you have someone to assist you.
You’ll need to test each step that squeaks and repair it individually by refastening the tread to its underlying structure at the source of the squeak.
If It Squeaks in the Front:
If the stair squeaks when you step anywhere along the front of the tread, then you can often solve the problem by re-attaching the tread to its riser where they come together.
Whether you’re refastening your tread to the riser or to one or more of the stringers, you go about it essentially the same way.
If It Squeaks in the Back:
On the other hand, if you find that the stair squeaks in another place, such as along the back or to one side or the other, you probably need to get at the stringers.
Typically, there are three stringers, one on each side and at least one running down the middle — sometimes more, depending on how wide the stairs are. Each of the stringers is usually an inch and a half to two inches thick.
Since re-attaching to a stringer is slightly more complicated, given the fact that you can’t actually see the stringer, I’ll describe that process in detail.
How to Tighten Up a Stringer:
Tighten the tread to its stringer by driving in two finish nails at opposite 45-degree angles, creating a clamp.
You should be able to tell where your stairs’ stringers are by the position of the existing fasteners, or by looking underneath if you happen to have access to the underside of the stairs.
So you’ve determined the layout of the stringers and found the one in particular that needs repairing—say it is the center one.
Here’s what you do:
You want to have your helper stand on the stair with one foot on either side of the stringer, compressing them together.
1.You then drill two starter holes into the tread at opposite 45-degree angles. Remember they’re only starter holes, so you don’t want to drill all the way into the structure below. I would use 8- or 10-penny finish nails for this project, and your holes should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the nails.
2. You then drive the nails through your holes into the stringer, setting them a little bit below the surface of the tread.
You can then cover the holes with some wood putty.
3. A nail that’s been driven straight down has a tendency to work itself loose and right back out over a period of time because it’s constantly being bounced on and moved around.
4. The opposite 45-degree angles of the nails create a clamp that will hold the step down.
If You Have Carpeted Stairs:
If your stairs are carpeted, you’ll obviously need to remove it before you can fix the stairs. The carpet does provide cover for your work, however, so before laying it back down you might want to take the opportunity to screw your riser boards into the stringers, which will really tighten everything up.
I hope by following these relatively simple steps you’ll finally be able to sneak down for that late-night sandwich without waking the whole family. A perfectly quiet staircase will be your only surprise!
BONUS: SQUEAKY DOOR HINGES by Mark Slade
When I moved into my newest home, I found the door hinge in the primary bedroom was incredibly squeaky and I didn't want to wake up my fiance. So, first I tried WD-40 which surprisingly, didn't completely alleviate the problem. So then I purchased a graphite lubricant which is a fine powder that comes in a tube. It did the job, but I warn you it can be a lil messy and harder to clean up.
The best lubricant for squeaky door hinges would be either a silicone spray or lithium grease. Silicon spray is cheaper, easier to apply and potentially less messy than lithium grease, which makes it the winner for us.
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