Silencing squeaking floor boards...

[patrickstickler]

The floorboards of my cabin sole squeak quite a bit as I move about the cabin and I've been pondering how best to silence them.

Hard bar soap? Beeswax? Teak oil? something else?

Advice about proven solutions very welcome!

[Faster]

Try taking a rasp and skimming a few thou off the edges of the boards, or if they're uniform enough skim off the edge with a table saw.. it's usually the flex as you trod on them 'rubbing' another floorboard or the edge of a settee front etc.

If it's practical and there's adequate structure underneath, you might try screwing them down.. quick release screw latches are available for this, but a bit pricey. (like the "deutz fasteners" in aircraft cowlings). Seems to me there was a thread on this some time back.

[Zanshin]

I bit the bullet and bought PYI Floor Anchors and will install them in 2 weeks. I checked sources for the much cheaper DZUS fasteners and decided that they might corrode away on me or not work to my satisfaction. But I wanted to stop squeeking and solidly fasten the floorboards on my boat for offshore but still wanted them to be removable.

[scottyt]

Baby powder will fix it for a short time, and can be used to narrow down where they squeak. The problem with trimming them down is a lot of times it will just let another spot rub and squeak, but it is what you should do first. Securing them with screws is probably the most sure bet but it does make it harder to get in to later.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

I bit the bullet and bought PYI Floor Anchors and will install them in 2 weeks.

Thanks Zanshin... those were the ones I was thinking of!

[tdw]

Now they are very neat. Nice stuff. What sort of cost ?

[Omatako]

So while I think this is a nice product and will find good use on a boat, I wonder about its ability to stop floors from squeaking.

The reason for my sceptisicm is that the cross pin in the top piece has to go down to get around the corner of the "hook" on the bottom piece and then lifts into the slot which prevents it from coming loose. This requires that the floor go down a smidgeon below the point where it will finally rest (for the pin to get round the corner)

This in turn means that once the pin is in its final resting spot, the floor has lifted back up the same smidgeon and is not securely held, will have movement and thus continue to squeak.

Maybe it's just me . . .

[Zanshin]

The PYI anchors are embarassingly pricey, but they are very well-built and solid. The main reason is of course to keep my floorboards in place and noise-prevention is only secondary, but Omatako would only be correct if the source of the squeeking is at or around the anchor, if elsewhere then the anchor should keep the boards in place enough to not make noise. If it doesn't, then I'll apply some candle wax and hope that does the trick.

[PCP]

Try silicone grease.