Repair Hardwood Floors – Squeaks & Wood Stains
Faced with squeaky boards or water stains? These simple wood floor care tips can protect your investment
Refinished wood flooring in Jessica and David’s apartment
Hardwood floors can be majestic. They bring an Old World charm to any home. Walk on them with bare feet and the quality is undeniable. Nothing man-made can ever quite replicate it.
Hardwood floors boost home value
Hardwood floors can also be enticing; more than 50% of people in the market for a home are willing to pay more for a place that has hardwood floors, according to National Association of Realtors. The average amount of that “more” is $2,080. And the younger the buyers are, the higher they rate hardwood floors on their list of desirable features.
Challenges of having hardwood floors
As wonderful as they are, hardwood floors can come with some hiccups. They can squeak and creak. They can stain and buckle. The materials and installation can get pricey. But all that might be worth it when you gaze upon those gorgeous floors (and later sell your home faster and for a slightly higher price).
Sweeten, a free service matching homeowners with vetted general contractors, shares helpful wood floor care tips to navigate those obstacles.
Why do hardwood floors squeak?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s likely not the wood that you’re walking on that is making all that racket, according to Scott, a general contractor with Sweeten. The culprit is often the subfloor and joists underneath. The material can become loose, causing friction between two pieces of wood, which emits the squeak. “It’s caused either by people walking on it for a hundred years or it hasn’t been installed properly,” said Scott.
Humidity can also be a major factor, according to Tom Jennings from the World Floor Covering Association. That is especially the case in places like New York, where temperatures “can vary 100 degrees between July 4thand January 4th,” he said. As the floors expand and contract with the humidity, hardwood floors can shift and become loose. At times they can even begin to buckle.
Maple floors in Ana and Leo’s apartment
How to fix squeaky wood floors
The first question Scott asks when he encounters a squeaky floor is can he get underneath it. It is ideal if there is an open basement under it or the offending floor is on the second level of the home. According to Scott, if it is an apartment with someone else below, then to get to the subfloor, the top flooring will likely need to be removed (unless your downstairs neighbor is very accommodating!)
Sometimes the squeak might come from a loose nail as it goes in and out of its hole. This can easily be fastened with a screw. Other times, a shim is used (shims are small pieces of wood used as a re-enforcement to prevent the subfloor and joists from moving and squeaking). Shims are attached with either nails, screws, or powerful glue. A simple and short nail can also help fasten the subfloor to the floorboards above if that is the cause of the squeak. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate to live, Sweeten to thrive!
In this Sweeten project, general contractor Keelin ended up installing a new plywood subfloor in an apartment. He also added a sound attenuation mat between the subfloor and the engineered wood veneer to further muffle any noise.
Before plywood was introduced as a construction material in the 1920s, wide wooden planks were the go-to subfloor material laid over rafters. Plywood—slim pieces of wood glued together—is much more stable and less prone to squeaks, Tom said.
Control for humidity
Controlling the humidity in a home is one way to help mute squeaks from hardwood floors, according to Tom from the World Floor Covering Association. This can be done with a humidifier and a hydrometer. The hydrometer will measure the humidity in a room, which is best kept between 40 and 60 percent.
Herringbone patterned oak floor in Kasey’s prewar apartment
Wood floor care: Patching a hardwood floor
If you have a water stain or some floorboards in need of repair, it will be difficult to fix just that one patch. The damaged section would need to be sanded back and then restained. However, “the only portion of the job that is difficult is matching the existing stain,” said Scott. (He is referring to the stain that you apply and not the damage.)
If that small patch of mismatched floor is in an exposed area, or if you know it will just drive you crazy, the other solution is to sand back the entire floor and restain all of it. That way, you can ensure uniformity in appearance.
Cost to refinish hardwood floors
Even if your hardwood floor isn’t damaged, sanding and refinishing it will make it feel like new. This wood floor care strategy should be done every 15 to 20 years, according to Tom. That interval will be determined by the quality of your finish and how much traffic the floor gets. For example, your home entrance would wear faster than an upstairs area.
The national average cost to refinish a 500-square-foot hardwood floor is about $1,500, according to Improvenet. The size of the area to be refinished will be your biggest cost factor. Second to that will be the condition of the floor. If there are things like water stains and cracks, more sanding will be needed and that will increase the labor costs. What finish you choose will also impact your total budget. Staining can range from about 40 cents a square foot to just under $1, according to Homewyse.
Restained maple flooring in Lauren’s studio apartment
Cost to replace hardwood floors
When calculating your costs to replace hardwood floors, consider both installation and material costs. The average cost of replacing hardwood floors (including the subfloor) is $4,000 for 200 square feet, according to Fixr. That price will move up or down depending on the area you want to cover. It will also depend on if the contractor will have to work around unusual room shapes. The materials needed to replace hardwood floors will have the biggest impact on your overall budget. For example, pine can cost $1 to $3 a square foot. At the other end of the scale, walnut costs $6 to $9 a square foot, according to Fixr. Add to that a subfloor, which is between $8 and $16 a square foot. Labor can range from $8 to $12 a square foot, depending on the difficulty of the install.
Hopefully, these wood floor care tips will keep your hardwood floors in tip-top shape, and keep them quiet as well.
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Wood floors look great in any space—and with the right care and maintenance—just get better looking over time. Check out 5 Sweeten homes with classic wide-plank flooring.
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Expect to pay around $4,000 for 200 square feet of replaced hardwood floor. However, certain factors will increase or decrease your overall costs: larger areas will have higher costs, as will irregularly-shaped spaces. Conversely, smaller spaces will have lower costs. Also, the flooring materials you use will have a direct impact on your total costs.
Start by checking for loose nails, which can cause squeaking as they move in and out of their hole. You can fix this with a screw or a shim. Secondly, make sure you control for humidity in the home—which can help squeaky floors—with a hydrometer and humidifier. Aim for humidity levels between 40-60%.
The national average cost to refinish a 500-square-foot hardwood floor is about $1,500. However, the size of the area you’re refinishing will have the biggest cost impact. After size, consider the condition of the floor. If it has water stains and cracks, you’ll need more sanding, which will increase the labor costs. The chosen finish will also impact your total budget.
