Choose your country.

How do I prevent parquet from creaking when I step on it?

Applicable for

  • Parquet

People are sometimes worried that they will get a creaky floor if they choose a wooden floor. Well, I can assure you, that fear is unfounded. If the floor is properly fitted, it will not creak.

The most important requirement for a quiet wooden floor is a good subfloor. This helps to dampens the contact noise. Do you have a creaky wooden floor? Then it is possible that your floor has been installed directly in top of wooden beams, so there is a layer of air under the floor. Noises are then not insulated and can easily be heard. A proper subfloor would solve this issue.

Gluing the wooden floor

The best way to get good acoustics is to glue your wooden floor. The floor will then be unable to bend or move, and will not creak. If a floating floor is installed, then there is a chance that it will generate mild contact noise. But even a floating floor should not creak too much. A crucial requirement is a flat subfloor that makes contact with the floor everywhere.

Wooden floor on old floorboards

In old homes, a wooden floor is often laid directly on top of old floorboards. If you want to prevent your floor from creaking, it is crucial that the floorboards are fixed in place and totally flat. It may help to sand the floorboards to get them nice and flat. Then glue the floor to prevent creaking.

Floor too dry

Creaking can also be caused by excessively dry air. This is especially common during the winter. A wooden floor is at its best at 45 to 60 per cent humidity. And it is not too hard to maintain this level of humidity. Simply install a humidifier, and that’s it. These humidifiers add moisture to the air, and therefore also to the floor. You can, for example, set them to turn off automatically at 40 per cent and keep working until the humidity has risen to 50 per cent.

More about First aid

Do you have a question?

Our experts are ready to help you with free advice. Don’t hesitate to contact Pieter and his colleagues by email or telephone.

Pieter_510x510