How to easily avoid creaking after laying plywood floors

Plywood is often used as a rough floor before laying the topcoat. The popularity of the material was provided by the relative cheapness, ease and simplicity of working with it. However, ignorance of the technology of its installation, often lead to errors that cause floor creaks.

Plywood can be laid directly on the old wooden floor, or on the logs. When laying plywood on an old wooden floor, its surface is first cleaned of debris. The sheets are fixed using adhesive compositions or self-tapping screws, observing a gap of several millimeters between their edges. Hats of self-tapping screws are sunk into the surface of plywood.

The second method is a rather complicated process, requiring the complete removal of the old floor along with the lags. Having cleaned the surface of the concrete base from construction debris, a layer of roofing material or glass isol is laid on it. This is necessary not only for waterproofing, but also to relieve internal stresses between concrete and wood, contributing to the appearance of creaks.

Then, perpendicular to the windows, wooden blocks are laid. Before this, they are treated with antiseptic compounds to protect against moisture and decay. The distance between the bars should correspond to the size of the plywood sheets. It is important that their joints are located in the middle of the bars.

Plywood is laid in two layers with offset joints. Sheets do not need to be tightly driven together. The distance between their edges should be a few millimeters. These gaps are filled with mastic or construction sealants, aligning the seams with a spatula. Such measures are necessary to prevent plywood creaks that appear during its operation.

Very often, some time after installing plywood, the floors begin to creak. This occurs for various reasons. For example, when using sheets that are too thin. Under the weight of a person, they bend and squeak. The same thing happens if the gaps between the edges of the sheets and the walls of the room are not observed. Swelling from high humidity or vice versa, drying up, plywood begins to creak at the joints or fastenings.

The best option for eliminating plywood creaks can be its complete overhaul in compliance with technological standards. When minor creaks appear, you can try to eliminate them by installing additional screws. If plywood was fastened with nails, they must be removed and replaced with self-tapping screws.

If possible, you can fill in the foam between the boards and plywood. This should be done carefully, since an excess of this material can cause plywood to warp or swell.