Half my floor squeaked after a job near Atlanta - here's what I changed

Did a bedroom install about 2 months ago in a house built in the 90s. Used the same glue and underlayment I always do. Customer called me 3 weeks later saying the whole right side of the room squeaked when you walked on it. Went back and pulled up a corner - turns out the subfloor had a slight dip I didn't shim out. Now I run a straight edge across every room before I start. Anyone else run into hidden subfloor issues that only show up after the carpet is down?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_smith4d ago

Oh man, this exact thing happened to me a few years back lol. Did a living room in an older house and thought everything was fine until the homeowner called saying there was this weird creak right in the middle of the room. Pulled up a corner and found a low spot I totally missed. Now I always run a straight edge across the whole floor before I even unroll the carpet. It's such a pain but it saves so much hassle later. The worst part is how noisy it gets when you walk on it - drives me crazy. You definitely learned a lesson the hard way but at least you caught it early.

grant.parker4d agoTop Commenter

Picked up a straight edge from a garage sale a few years back. Previous owner used it as a paint stirrer so it's got about six layers of beige on it. Still works fine. Found a dip under some linoleum that way once. Saved me from a kitchen floor that would have looked like a trampoline.