What type of screws for floorboards

Now that is not an exclusive list, but these are the most common. In older homes it will most likely be the softwood option. The biggest problem most people encounter is trying to match the depth of the floorboards being replaced to those that exist in the room.

Also trying to find the right length can also be a bit of a pain. When we were doing our research, we came across a number of questions that are asked quite a lot. We have listed those below, most importantly, with the answers. People tend to have different view points on this. In older homes floorboards will be nailed down. The simple reason for that is that it is much faster and easier to do, rather than individually screwing each and every board down.

It is also cheaper. The difficulty is if you ever need to replace them, then removing nails without breaking the boards is close to impossible to achieve. If you plan on leaving the floorboards exposed, then covering up nails is quite difficult. Covering up screws is much easier using a wood filler or a gap filling resin. The first thing you should try and do, is to understand why the floor is actually squeaking. In most cases it could simply be a couple of loose floorboards.

You can use any of the screws we have listed above. Just be aware in some cases though that there could be a deeper problem such as rotted boards, or a faulty joist. Try screwing the boards down first, and if that doesn't work, then you probably need to get advice from a registered builder. We would recommend 50mm screws. The reason for this is that you want to avoid hitting electrical cables that may be running under the floorboards. There are strict rules for electrical contractors as to what depth they should drill holes through joists.

That said, it depends on the age of the house, and it also depends how strictly any contractor stuck to the rules. Better to be safe than sorry and 50 mm is a good length. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked. But is it truly the best one?

Now, if your floor is experiencing a lot of temperature fluctuations the wood will contract and expand constantly so the nails can loosen and eventually even pop up. As you can imagine, loose nails will grant a lot more freedom of movement to the floorboards which in turn will allow them rub on each other and produce the annoying squeaking.

The obvious solution to the problem? Screw the boards instead of nailing! They want to have their floor installed or repaired as fast as possible and as cheap as possible. Nailing is much faster and easier to do, rather than individually screwing each and every board. If you simply want to fit your floor and forget about it from this point on, this may be for you.

One of the main advantages screwing has over nailing is the possibility to remove the floorboard. If you are ever to remove a screwed floor during the floorboards restoration process , you can easily re-screw it back in its old position. On the other hand, If you attempt to lift a nailed floorboard, you must snap the nails in the wood and re-nail on some other spot. Needless to say, nothing lasts forever and screwing may be particularly convenient for future repairs. If you want to have access to wiring and pipework through your floor, screws again are the way to go.

Another great advantage is the fact that screws will pull the boards down better than any nails and hold without popping out. The tighter grip they provide makes screws the superior long term solution. If you have a solid wood floor not floating engineered installation the best option is to screw and glue your floor, thus increasing its stability substantially and preventing squeakiness.

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