Found a $5 tool that fixed my squeaky hardwood floors for good

I had this annoying squeak in our hallway near the dining room for months. Tried a $30 kit from the hardware store but it didn't work. Ended up using a simple countersink bit and some trim screws at a 45 degree angle, and the noise is completely gone now. Anyone else have a go-to trick for floor squeaks?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lisa17d ago

Oh man, I used to be all about those expensive kits too. I thought the price tag meant it would work better. Bought a fancy one for like forty bucks and it did nothing for my bedroom floor. Tried your trick with countersink bits and trim screws last weekend. Quietest that hallway has been in years. Totally changed my mind about needing fancy stuff for simple problems. Simple tools done right beat expensive gimmicks every time.

evaperez17d ago

But what if the squeak is actually just a symptom of something bigger going on under the floor? I had a spot that kept squeaking no matter what I tightened, and it turned out the subfloor was kind of rotted from an old leak. A countersink trick is great for normal floors, but sometimes a squeak is your house trying to tell you it needs a proper repair.