LESLIE: Art in California’s got squeaky floors. Tell us about them.
ART: I need something on the floor and before it was not squeaking; not until the carpet was laid – a new carpet.
TOM: Isn’t that the way it always goes? (chuckling) The floors are fine until you put the wall-to-wall carpet down. Then, all of a sudden, you find a noise.
ART: Yeah. (laughter)
LESLIE: Well, what’s the room underneath the squeaky room? Is it a basement? Is it a finished ceiling below there? Tell us about that.
ART: It’s the garage.
LESLIE: It’s the garage. So can you see the floor joist when you go downstairs into the garage?
ART: No.
LESLIE: OK. Is it squeaking all over or is it squeaking in one significant spot?
ART: Just in one spot.
LESLIE: Tom, will a deep scan stud sensor go through carpeting?
TOM: Yeah, it absolutely will. And once you identify where that floor joist is, what you could actually do, in this case, is nail through the carpet using a finish nail set at a slight angle. Because what’s happening here is you’re getting movement between the subfloor and the floor joist. And so, if you use a finish nail, you can nail right through the carpet and then set the nail right through the carpet with a nail set. Then sort of grab the nap and pull it back up and it will be …
LESLIE: And you won’t see that nail head at all.
TOM: No, it’ll be totally invisible.
ART: Oh. OK. Ah.
LESLIE: You just have to locate where the floor joist is to make sure that you’re actually nailing that subfloor into something.
ART: Yes, OK. OK, hey, thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: You could almost hear that light bulb turning on.
TOM: Yeah, you could. (laughing) But you know, it’s just funny that he didn’t have squeaky problems until he put the wall-to-wall carpet down and then all of a sudden he’s got a problem. You know, the best way to avoid that is if you are going to put wall-to-wall carpet down …
LESLIE: Just nail that subfloor to the joist before.
TOM: Yeah. Nail that sucker down first; before you put the carpet down. Because you know, chances are the problem’s going to happen after you put it down. Or better yet, screw it down using the drywall screws. Then it’ll never move and if it’s not going to move, it won’t squeak.
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