Squeaking Floors In A Mobile Home...FIXED

• Dec 31, 2010

• #1

GoldDot40

Senior Member

My 'in-law's' floors in their mobile home squeak like crazy. My MIL is just about to go nuts (worse than she already is). They asked me if I knew how to make the squeak go away as they cannot afford any type of contractor to do it. From what I can tell, it seems to be in the same general distance from the outside wall in every room that squeaks....which is MOST of them.

Has anyone here ever dealt with squeaky floors in a mobile home? I've searched online and see a lot of people talking about simply tightening the lag bolts along the steel frame. Is it that easy or is there more to it?

 

Last edited: Jan 8, 2011

• Dec 31, 2010

• #2

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator

Staff member

.

It is possible that the squeak could be frame related since it is a mobile home and has a metal frame. But in a stick built home squeaky floors generally are caused by insufficient fasteners on the flooring.
The only real way to do that is pull up the floor covering and add fasteners. If I did this I would use screws (drywall or similar) instead of nails.

It may be worth a try in one room just to see if it helps.

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #3

burkehunter

Senior Member

yeah in my remodeling experience I have found that its going to be because mobile home manufacturers use nails to put subfloor down but the subfloor needs to be screwed down. Use some 2" decking/wood screws to replace the nails.

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #4

Redneck1919

Senior Member

If you can access it from underneath, you can drive door shims between floor and joists, not too tight, just enough to stop squeaks.
If there is carpet in places where it squeaks you can drive two finish nails in at opposing angles through the floor and joists. Bury them deep enough that vacuum won't catch on them or bare feet.
Either method is easier than moving furniture, etc. and pulling carpet, although screws are a better fix.
Jim

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #5

D

decoyed

Banned

might be time to scrap her.

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #6

GoldDot40

Senior Member

decoyed said:

might be time to scrap her.

Click to expand...

The home is only 10 years old.....not sure they're ready to throw it to the curb just yet.

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #7

Sugar Plum

Nurse Shuga

Best of luck to you! My stupid A-frame does this and it's killing me. The worst of the squeaks are in the baby's room.

Maybe call a few contractors and ask them what the problem is? You might get one that could give you a general idea

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #8

T

tshelton99

Banned

I have used the shim with sub-floor glue from underneath trick, works many times under vinyl floors, There is a headless screw I use on carpeted floors, although these screws are hard to find, if you knew the sub-floor was of plywood and not particle board, you can use a size 10d finish nail through the carpet into the joist and set it with a nail set to drive the head on down and then simply rake the carpet pile and you'll never know it, you find it very difficult to drive a size 10d into particle board,

 

• Dec 31, 2010

• #9

thomas the redneck

Senior Member

the only thing i could add would be if you do the shim trick use some liquid nails and try to get some in the crack between the joice and subfloor
and in rare cases the floor will move between the joice's and the noise will come from the wall plate

 

• Jan 1, 2011

• #10

skiff23

Senior Member

Well here a a few pointers...
1) it is a mobile home , they will have to put up with some.
2) If you can roll back the flooring , try sifting some talc powder down the seems of the wood flooring. You would be surprised !
3) Sheet rock screws WILL NOT hold. They will break if under any pressure. If you can access it use the new torque head screws, they can with stand a lot of pressure.
4) If you go as far as pulling the subfloor , make sure to use subfloor glue. THis is what we use in the business on new flooring along with nails and screws. The glue is what keeps the woods bonded to gether and prevents sqeeks . I have seen a lot of people short change the job and not use it and the result is sqeaky floors and a few dollars saved.

Hope this helps

 

• Jan 1, 2011

• #11

jigman29

Senior Member

Easy fix go under the floor and at every pillar they put shims to do the final leveling of the home.In the general area of the squeak take a hammer and tighten up theses wooden shims this should do the trick.Be sure not to drive them to hard or you could make the level of the home get off a little.What happens is that when the home settles some of them get lose and since mobile homes only have 2x6 floor joists they will give when you walk on them.I had the same problem in my mom's home and the guy who moved the home told me to try this and it worked fine.

 

• Jan 2, 2011

• #12

bobcat

Senior Member

Very simple fix for 90 percent of it. Get someone to make the floor squeak and take a hammer and go underneath and find the LAG bolts that are squeaking. Hit the lag heads at an angle until they stop squeaking. Use to do service on mobile homes and this gets the majority of all squeaks fixed. If had to guess the squeak is about 4 ft of exterior walls. If have any other squeaks like loose decking u can drive an 8 penny finish nail through the carpet if its not feasible to pull carpet up. But my bet is on lag bolts on frame.

 

• Jan 2, 2011

• #13

Misfire270

Senior Member

squeeks same distance from walls are probobly the air ducts they are usually strapped so tight they squeek against the joists you can try to loosen them up (a major pain) or find thespots andplace something between the duct and joist i put scrap carpet pad on many to stop thesqueeks

 

• Jan 8, 2011

• #14

GoldDot40

Senior Member

So today was the day. I had to go under it anyway to run cable for an additional TV. While I was under there, I located the lag bolts along the frame. I took a 1/2" socket/ratchet and went along tightening the bolts. Most turned about 1/2 to 1/4 turn, while some took 1 or 2 whole turns. I even found a few that would not tighten at all...just stripped out. Anyway, the floor no longer squeaks. Everyone is happy.