Wondering how to fix squeaky floors? It’s easy to do, even through carpeted floors. Here’s the full tutorial of what we did!

Squeeeeeeak. At the top of our stairs, we have developed extremely squeaky floors in the last couple of years. It was never a big deal until the baby was born.

Now the squeak sounds 50 times louder because his nursery is right there. We had to figure out a solution for how to fix squeaky floors through carpet without damaging it.

What causes squeaky floors under carpet?

If your floor is squeaking underneath carpet, it is likely that the subfloor has gotten loose around the nails and is moving up and down slightly, making a squeak.

Luckily, all you need to do is tighten that up with a new nail or screw to stop the squeak.

How to Fix Creaky Floors Under Carpet

We had been under the impression that you can only fix a squeak in the floor if you tear out the carpet. Granted, this might be easier, but it’s not the only way to do it.

To fix a creak under your carpet, all you need is a squeaky floor repair kit!

We found a kit on Amazon for fixing squeaky floors through carpet. It’s the O’Berry Enterprises “Squeek No More” Kit and it looks very “as seen on tv” so we were a little skeptical, but it actually works.

In addition to the squeak repair kit, you will need a drill. You can use a stud finder, but we didn’t find it to be necessary! It makes it so easy to stop the floor from creaking!

Step one: Find the Joists

The first step to eliminate floor squeaks is to find the floor joists around your squeaks.

Squeaky floors are usually the result of a sub-floor board that has come loose around a nail on a joist.

The squeak is the plywood subfloor board rubbing up and down on the nail.

Locate the joists by using your hand or a hammer to find where the floor is solid. You can also use a stud finder to locate the joists.

Verify if you located a joist by using the drill bit included in the kit. This drill bit will bore right through the carpet without causing any damage.

You’ll know the drill bit has found the joist by feeling it drive into the joist. But you can also tell by reversing the drill and if it comes out on its own, then you’re there.

If you’ve missed the joist, the bit will be loose and won’t come out on it’s own. Try again until you’ve found the joist. You can also use a stud finder to aid in your joist finding, but we prefer the drill method!

Finally, find the joist on the opposing side of the squeak. Joists are typically 16″ apart.

How to fix squeaks in floors with a drill

Step two: Align screws

Take the tripod piece from the kit and press it firmly into the carpet with the center over the joist. You will hear the three prongs “pop” into the webbing of the carpet.

Press your weight into the floor where the squeak is on either side of it.

I got down on my knees right on top of the squeak and next to the tripod to ensure I was putting as much weight down as possible.

how to use this tool to drill into carpet and remove squeaks

Step three: drill screws into carpet

Use the special driver bit and drill a screw down through the center of the tripod. It will stop when the collar of the driver bit hits the bottom.

Repeat these steps with screws about 8″ apart along the joists on both sides of the squeak, for a total of 16 inches apart.

These screws are pulling the floorboard back down to be flush with the joist to eliminate the squeak.

Step four: Pop off the screw heads

You’ve probably noticed by now that there are exposed screw heads. On one of the three prongs of the tripod is the screw head remover.

Slide this around each screw head and rock back and forth until the screw snaps off. you won’t have any bit of screw exposed.

This works because they created a score at the perfect level down from the bottom of the tripod. You’ll have no problems as long as you drive each screw all the way to the max depth.

how to use a kit to remove squeaks in carpet

To recap, the way to fix a squeaky carpeted floor is to:

Find your squeak
Locate the joists on either side of your squeak
Use the Squeeeeek No More kit to verify the joist
Screw down the sub-floor with kit’s tripod and screws
Snap off screw heads
Listen to silence

Fixing squeaky floors through carpet results

The “Squeeeeek No More” Kit worked great for us at the top of the stairs.

It completely eliminated the squeaky areas and we no longer have to worry about waking the baby.

If you’re concerned about how this will go, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and it fixed our problem in about 10 minutes!

How to fix squeaky floors through carpet

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10-50

Do your floors squeak? Here is a super simple and budget friendly way to repair the squeaky floors through the carpet without removing the carpet.

Materials

Squeek no more kit

Tools

Drill

Instructions

Locate the joists under the carpet. You should be able to knock with a hammer and hear the solidness of the joists. The kit comes with a drill bit you can use to verify that there is a joist in that spot. This drill bit will bore right through the carpet without causing any damage.
Place the tripod over the joist and POP into place.
Use the included drill bit + screw to screw into the floor, tightening the subfloor to the joist.
The screw will stick up a bit. Use the hook on the tripod to pop the screw off.
Repeat until you are satisfied! We did screws about 8" apart along the joists until the squeak stopped.

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Sean

Hey there, I’m Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I’ve been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.