Creaky landing floorboards - replace?

[NewspaperTaxis]

My landing has creaky haunted house floorboards that are never louder than when you're trying to get to your bedroom and not disturb someone else...

Is there a way of stopping this - dosing them in a liquid or something? Otherwise, does anyone know much would it cost to replace the landing floorboards with new, non-creaky ones in their entirety? It's a job for a builder, I understand, rather than a wood flooring specialist.

[PigletJohn]

how old is the house?

Are the "planks" or a sheet material such as chipboard?

Floors are often taken up to run radiator pipes or cables beneath. Does your floor look like it has been cut up and nailed down?
Some photos would help.

Sometimes it is enough to screw them down tightly, but if they have been hacked about new timber will be required.

Do not drill, screw or nail a floorboard until you have lifted it and looked underneath to see which cables and pipes you are going to puncture.

[PigletJohn]

and it's a job for a carpenter.

[FurierTransform]

I had success in an old house with pulling the carpet/underlay up, laying down a huge sheet of the thinnest plywood available in BandQ (it was around 6mm or so), & screwing it down with around 100 short ~15mm screws until it stopped creaking/didn't feel bouncy.

That made the floor feel solid.

[NewspaperTaxis]

Hi, thanks for your responses! Here's a pic - we're in the middle of renovation. The hall is also currently carpetless but does not creak. Should I just replace the floorboards?

[PigletJohn]

it appears to be varnished pine. I can see three boards that have been cut short at the same point. Probably by a plumber or electrician. And one with a lump missing where it has been pried up.

Most likely your creaking boards are the ones that have been taken up and put back with insufficient support. Probably adding a strut (noggin) or sister to the joists to support the cut edge will do it. If they are screwed down it is easy to take them up, but they are probably nailed down.

You can see the rows of nails which indicate the centres of the joists.

I favour retaining original features of the house.

Both your options involve taking up the old ones.

I favour rectifying the defect and then putting them back down.

Proceed with care because there are most likely pipes and cables cut into notches in the joists, probaly under the boards that have been lifted in the past. Try not to saw, drill or nail through many of them.

You can also repair a cracked or broken floorboard if you can be bothered to spend a bit of time and have the pieces.

If you are weedy, a carpenter can do it but will probably want to work quickly and not bother with retaining or restoring originality. an old one who is a slow worker will be OK because it is a very small job. You will enjoy hoovering out a hundred years of dust, cobwebs, dead mice and builders rubbish from under the floor. Use a canister or workshop vac if you can get one.

[CurlyStrawsRock]

We've replacing our creaky landing floor boards with chipboard and no creaking whatsoever. We are also carpeting it so that means we can use the chipboard though.

Yours look lovely!

[PigletJohn]

These are all just pieces of joist, cut to size and nailed into place. Cheap to buy and easy for a carpenter to do. Have plenty.

what is a sistered joist

what is a noggin

solid struts, not herringbone and the boards can be supported by them

[NewspaperTaxis]

Many thanks for your all your replies, this has been a massive help!

Piglet John, you appear to be a regular as I recognise your moniker - excellent stuff as always!