Squeaky floors - anyone tried "Squeak no more"?

[FerrumB5]

Hi Folks,

I have squeaky floors under carpet in couple of rooms. It gets worse in winter with low humidity. Has anyone tried "Squeak no more" kit? Looks like it works pretty good in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUW-IhSMBc
Link to the kit itself: https://www.amazon.com/OBERRY-ENTERPRISES-3233-SQUEEEEEK-REPAIR/dp/B0006IK8YE

[Metric Mouse]

Hi Folks,

I have squeaky floors under carpet in couple of rooms. It gets worse in winter with low humidity. Has anyone tried "Squeak no more" kit? Looks like it works pretty good in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUW-IhSMBc
Link to the kit itself: https://www.amazon.com/OBERRY-ENTERPRISES-3233-SQUEEEEEK-REPAIR/dp/B0006IK8YE

Never tried it. Late night TV tells me it works great. I found one squeaky spot in the house that I wonder if it could assist with.

[Murr]

We used this same kit in our bedroom after seeing the segment on This Old House. It did work quite well, just a little bit of work figuring out where the joists were.

[lthenderson]

I used it throughout our house after seeing it on Ask This Old House. It works great. Like a previous commenter said, it is sometimes hard to find the floor joists but I came up with a solution that works quite well. Once you understand the direction of the joists, and find the first one, finding the rest is simply a matter of measuring over sixteen inches. I went across one side of the room putting one of those screws every sixteen inches but not breaking it off. I then go down the other side of the room doing the same thing. Next I get some kite string and string it between the screw heads highlighting the floor joists. Then it is just a matter of going down the line putting in the screws as fast as you can go.

[FerrumB5]

This is good strategy with the string. The video I posted shows exactly this technique!
I'll give it a try. My main concern - if screws break prematurely, how do I get them out? And what happens if one needs to replace the floors (under carpet.. does it ever happen?), how do you remove upper layer with headless screws in it?

[lthenderson]

My main concern - if screws break prematurely, how do I get them out? And what happens if one needs to replace the floors (under carpet.. does it ever happen?), how do you remove upper layer with headless screws in it?

I've never had a screw break prematurely. They are designed well in that aspect. As for replacing subflooring later, it would be a bear. The only time I've ever had to replace subfloor was due to water damage and that generally has been in bathrooms and kitchen where there isn't any carpet or I've needed to use this squeak system.

[FerrumB5]

Murr, lthenderson - did you buy online or are they readily available at Home Depot? I checked Menards - it wasn't there. Just wondering

[Murr]

I got mine at Lowes. Its on their website too.

[lthenderson]

I bought mine through Amazon.com.

[CptCool]

I've used these as well - you can get a box of replacement screws on amazon for ~$18 after you buy the initial package in case you need more.

I've had to remove some from the floor and it is a bit of a pain. You have to chip or drill out an area around the broken screw, then grip with a pliers to twist them out. It's not a huge deal though as it shouldn't really happen often. If you are replacing the whole subfloor you'd likely just saw out the entire area then either chip away the wood by the screw or just tear it out of the joist with a crowbar. Really, you shouldn't be replacing the subfloor unless it's been compromised by water damage, ants, etc