The Silent Treatment

Baby Powder, Shims, and Adhesive

"Sometimes two boards may rub against each other despite my best efforts to stabilize them," Hunt says. As a short-term solution, he sprinkles the joint with a generous layer of baby powder, which eases the friction between the boards. Using a wide brush, he works the powder into the cracks, then sweeps up any excess so the area isn't slippery.

When the joists or subflooring pull away from the floorboards, every step causes creaks. If the joists are easily accessible from below, Hunt watches for movement between the subfloor and the joists as someone else walks across the floor overhead. Then he gently knocks a shim into the gap nearest that spot. "I like wood shingles as floor shims because they're flat and broad and finely tapered," he says.

If a gap exists between the flooring and the subfloor, it can't be closed up from underneath; filling it with construction adhesive may stop the noise. First, Hunt drills a 3/16-inch hole in the face of the flooring strip. Then he fits the nozzle of the adhesive tube into it and squeezes until he feels resistance. He quickly wipes up the excess with a cloth soaked with mineral spirits. "The adhesive has to come off immediately, otherwise it will mar the finish," he says.

"Putty would pop right out of a hole this size," Hunt says, so he fills it with a wood cylinder drilled with a plug-cutting bit out of a piece of matching scrap. "I always try to use the same species," he says. He taps the plug in after the adhesive is dry, then, using a sharp chisel, slices it off close to the floor surface. Once he sands it down flush and reseals the wood with a dab of polyurethane, the repair is virtually invisible.

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