The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Care And Repair Of The House

If the finish boards were laid in a wet condition, or if the sub floor was damp when the finish floor was laid, shrinking and warping of the boards would follow.

Where the finished floor is laid in the same direction as the sub floor, the former may warp and cause creaking.

Again, the sub floor may have been omitted and the finish floor nailed directly to the floor joist. In such cases the joists themselves may warp and not provide a level bearing for the flooring.

Making an Inspection.

If the basement is unceiled it will be easier to determine whether the first floor is single or double and the location and direction of floor joist can be noted if renailing is required.

The floor joists and bridging should be examined and the latter strengthened if necessary.

It is not easily determined whether there is single or double flooring on the second floor of a house. However, if the finished flooring runs in the same direction as that of the first floor, it may safely be assumed that the same type of construction has been used in both cases.

Tools.

Claw hammer, nail set, flat-headed axe or maul, and a block of wood.

Materials.

A small quantity of nails. For three-eighths inch thick dressed and matched hardwood flooring, 3d (three penny) wire finishing nails are recommended. For similar flooring, thirteenth-sixteenths inch thick, use 8d cut flooring nails, and for 11/16-inch flooring use 10d cut flooring nails. For 1-inch common flooring use 8d floor brads.

Methods to be Used.

If the boards have lifted slightly from the joists, place a block or board on the floor at that point and strike it with an axe or heavy hammer to drive the flooring back into place. A piece of old carpet or several thicknesses of paper should be placed under the block to avoid marring the floor.

In case this does not produce the desired result, the driving of a few nails around the loose point will probably draw the boards down tight. Care should be taken not to bend the nails, and when the heads are within a quarter of an inch of the floor, a nail set should be used to drive the nail heads below the floor surface in order to prevent marking the floor with the hammer. The nail holes should then be filled with putty or wood filler and finished in the same way as the floor.