During the construction of your new home there are some steps that you take to help ensure that you will not have squeaky floors in the future. In an older home you can lesson a squeak but not necessarily always to able to get rid of it completely. Nonetheless, a squeaky floor is an annoying sound.

What causes the squeak to begin with?

Squeaky floors normally start from below at the subfloor and joist level. Contraction and expansion are at their greatest here. Moisture fluctuates throughout the seasons which cause wood to expand and contract. This can cause nails and wood to become loose.

Possible movement of the underfloor supports and wood flooring could be the cause but not as likely with new home construction.

Things to do that may prevent a squeaky floor:

• Using advanced technology, I-beams in subflooring are much more sound and stable than in the past.

• Space a one-eighth gap between subfloor panels.

• Properly use a glued-and-nailed floor system.

• Meet or even exceed the code requirements to make sure joists are spaced and sized correctly.

• Make sure that subfloor panels are appropriate for applied loads.

• Your homes humidity level should range between 30-50 percent depending on the region you live in.

• Use a dehumidifier in the summer and a humidifier in the winter. This will help slow the aging of any wood in your home and decrease the risk of squeaking.

No Squeak Please

They do make a silent flooring system that is mostly used in apartment and high rises but they still do not provide 100% no squeak floors. You may still be able to hear children running or someone walking across the floor in high heels.

Be sure to talk with your builder during the home building process to address prevention of squeaky flooring.