Having a floor that is squeaking, creaking, or experiencing other noises can be frustrating.
It’s important to remember that all wood floors, especially those that are nailed down, will experience some normal squeaks and other noises that may increase as the floor ages.
Download our Squeaky Floors Infographic.
Squeaks can be caused by a number of factors, including:
Because of the wide variety of flooring constructions, thicknesses and moisture content of wood flooring at installation, manufacturers do not publish milling tolerances. A manufacturer can only control for milling tolerances at the environmental conditions during the manufacturing process.
In conditions drier than those during manufacturing, tongue and groove construction will become more loose. In conditions more humid, tongue and groove construction will become more tight. For this reason, it is very difficult to fault a manufacturer for milling tolerance at the jobsite environment.
It is always the installer’s responsibility to evaluate all flooring prior to and during installation for proper tongue and groove fit. Where any concern is identified, secondary methods can be applied to ensure a quiet floor. This could include but is not limited to gluing, screwing, or top nailing. If the installer is not comfortable with these methods or still concerned in any way about the floor’s milling and fit, they should stop installation immediately and consult the manufacturer.
While not always required, the use of glue to assist nail-down installations can greatly reduce the chance of floors squeaking, popping, creaking, or making other noises over time.
Are squeaky floors covered by warranty?
Squeaks, creaks, and other noises are not covered by manufacturer’s warranties because they are nearly always related to poor job-site conditions, or mistakes during installation. These are things that a manufacturer cannot control.
“NOTE: Our flooring is not warrantied against squeaking, popping or crackling when using staple-down or nail-down installation methods. Some squeaking, popping or crackling is normal and possible when using staple-down or nail-down installation methods. These symptoms may be aggravated in drier areas or during dry conditions.”
How Can Squeaky Floors be Fixed?
We have several resources available that will help you and your customer understand what causes squeaks, and how they can be fixed and prevented.
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Before filing a claim request…
These instructions will ensure the long-term success of your solid wood floor.
These instructions will ensure the long-term success of your engineered wood floor.
Every box of solid wood flooring has important instructions on the seam side that must be followed.
Every box of solid wood flooring has important instructions on the seam side that must be followed.
We include important STOP labels on every pallet we ship out, as well as on the seam side of each box of our prefinished wood flooring. These instructions must be followed to ensure the long-term success of your flooring. Following these instructions will help ensure that your floor’s warranty is not voided.
Important things to consider when filing a claim
Installation is considered acceptance for all wood floors, and most issues that could have been caught or prevented prior to installation are not covered by warranty.
Prefinished floors include special labels and instructions on every box to indicate the importance of inspecting and approving the floor prior to installation, what environmental conditions to keep the floor within, and how to properly acclimate before installing.
Our Installation Guide (included in every box of prefinished flooring) and Warranty explain the proper way to install our flooring and what is and is not covered by warranty.
Filing a claim request
If you believe your issue is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, you may begin the claim process by filling out our claim request form.