I have installed 3/4″x3 1/4″ prefinished T&G Australian Cypress flooring over old oak parquet flooring, which was glued down. The reason I went over the parquet is that when I tried to remove it, the plywood subfloor would get severely damaged. The parquet was very sound and did not squeak. The supplier of the Cypress said I could simply nail it down over the parquet using a pneumatic flooring nailer, which I did. Now it sqeaks terribly.
I used 2″ ring shank flooring nails @ 12″-16″ on center and hand nailed the edges. What puzzles me is that it does not sound like nail squeaks, but rather like “A sticky shoe” for lack of another discription.
I wish I had the forethought to have installed a layer of felt or something under the new flooring, but I did not.
Does anybody have any ideas to solve this problem, short of replacing 2 layers of flooring and a layer of damaged subfloor? Of course that would be my last choice, which will be very labor intensive, not to mention expensive.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Russ Barney
Replies
"A sticky shoe'
Sounds like the old parquet adhesive may be realeasing but that older stuff shouldn't make those sounds, as it cures too hard. The newer adhesives are more flexible. Mystery to me, but new squeaking hardwood floors are generally a result of poor floor prep or no attention to acclimation. Anotherwords high and low areas that should have been corrected prior to the installation.
Nailing pattern should have been closer. I'm puzzled by a ring shank flooring nail too. I suppose you could always top nail it and make it more of a rustic floor with that Auusie cypress...but it splits so danged easily.
Ken Fisher
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com
Ken, do you think the 2" nails are long enough to get a good purchase on the joists with a layer of may be 3/4 subfloor and ? thickness of parquet? I doubt in this case a layer of felt or paper would have help.
Tom
we have the same floor over t- paper and it creeks also, I belive it's in the t& g , I hear baby powder may help.
I use mine for an early warning system :-}
Daniel
I tried baby powder too, not much help, still stinks.
Tom
Give the floor some time to adjust. Many new floors make noise until they've cycled thru a heating season.
Ditch