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Squeaky stairs are annoying and make a house feel old and dated.
The good news is that most stair squeaks can be traced and fixed.
Sometimes, one of the stringers rubs against a wall, but this is less common.
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The fix is to fasten the step to the riser, preferably from the bottom of the staircase.
But over time, the nails may loosen.
When the step flexes, the nail rubs against the nail hole.
This stringer ordinarily is nailed or screwed into the wall’s two-by-four studs.
The fix is to re-nail or screw the stringer to the wall studs.
Wait two or three months after moving into the house to see if the stairs stop squeaking.
If the stairs don’t stop squeaking in a few months, call the builder to have them fixed.
Keep in mind that most home builder warranties expire after the first year.
Older Homes
It’s common for stairs in older homes to start squeaking at some point.
Nails, instead of screws, were used to build these stairs.
Screws have greater holding power.
Wood stairsin older homes were built with pine, Douglas Fir, and other conventional lumber.
Unlike engineered lumber, this lumber will shrink, causing the nails to squeak in the wood.
Fasten the Riser to the Step
The vertical riser rests over the back edge of the step.
It can be done by driving the screw at an angle through the step into the riser.
Also, WD-40’s oily texture may create a slip hazard on stair steps.
While WD-40 has thousands of approved uses, fixing squeaky stairs is not one of those uses.
If the floor is tile or stone, you should be worried about squeaky floors.
A flexing subfloor will crack hard materials like tile or stone.
Generally, though, you don’t need to worry about squeaky floors.
The squeaks may be resulting from temperature or humidity changes, improperly fastened subfloors, or loose nails.
You canfix squeaky floorswithout removing them by sprinkling a dry lubricant like powdered graphite on the squeaky spot.
Place a towel over the spot and step on it several times.
For a more permanent fix, drill a pilot hole into the floorboard from above.
Place a countersink bit in the drill and drill a shallow depression (a countersink).
Drive a screw into the hole.
Cover the screw head withwood puttyand sand smooth.
Warranties for New Homes.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction and Maintenance (EPA 402-F-13053).
United States Environmental Protection Agency.
