Creaking, cracking, and squeaking is not common problems with any kind of flooring. As a result, it is not a common occurrence for vinyl flooring. In fact, without understanding the specific cause of all these searching, cracking, and squeaking noises, they may irreversibly harm the vinyl floor.
Your vinyl flooring might also be making noises like creaking, cracking, and squeaking. If this is the case, you must be wondering why your vinyl floor makes these noises.
As a result, in this post, we’ll go through all of the likely key causes of your vinyl floor creaking, crackling, and squeaking.
Table of Contents
Why Does My Vinyl Floor Creak, Crackle, and Squeak?
If the leveling in those sound-producing regions is not done properly, the vinyl flooring creaks, crackles, and squeaks. In addition, an uneven subfloor slides, causing strain between the plank and the subfloor’s junction. Furthermore, this scenario causes vinyl flooring to crack, crackle, and squeak.
Do Vinyl Floors Make a Sound?
Vinyl flooring does not produce any noise. Unlike conventional hardwood flooring, vinyl flooring provides quiet and stability. Hence, vinyl floors seem to absorb sounds.
However, in some instances, vinyl flooring may generate those annoying sounds. For example, when the subfloor is not correctly installed, there are voids and the empty areas are filled with air.
As a result, while walking on the vinyl flooring, the regions with air-filled gaps cause the floor to generate sounds such as squeaking and cracking.
Another scenario is when the subfloor moves excessively, causing the vinyl floor to make sounds such as creaking or splitting. So, these are the circumstances under which vinyl flooring generates noise.
Why is my vinyl floor creaking, crackling, and squeaking?
This section will go through all of the practical reasons why vinyl flooring might creak, crackle, and squeak.
Inadequate Leveling
One of the most common causes of cracking, crackling, and squeaking noises is if the subfloor isn’t level.
If you didn’t execute the leveling procedure correctly before laying the vinyl flooring, it will almost certainly result in such upsetting sound popping scenarios.
Because parts where the leveling was not done properly still have gaps that are filled with air beneath them. When you walk through those air-filled spaces, the vinyl flooring planks will scrape against each other, causing the floor to creak, crackle, or squeak.
The subfloor is slanted.
An uneven subfloor has long been thought to be the primary cause of most flooring issues. It’s also one of the primary reasons why your vinyl flooring creaks, crackles, and squeaks.
If the substrate underneath the vinyl flooring is uneven, the flooring planks will shift excessively. Floor planks move around all the time, which can put a lot of stress on that part of the floor.
As a result, the vinyl flooring begins to separate from one another and generates a cracking sound. An uneven floor may also cause crackling and squeaking sounds.
Inadequate Expansion Gaps Between Flooring Planks
Another source of cracking, crackling, or squeaking sounds is when the expansion gaps between the vinyl flooring boards aren’t big enough.
In some cases, vinyl flooring will make a popping sound even if the subfloor is level and leveled correctly. If there aren’t enough expansion gaps between the flooring boards and the margins around the wall, this will make the noise.
The typical expansion gap is 1/4-3/32 inches. If you keep the expansion gap at less than this size, your vinyl floors will clash when expanding or contracting. Your vinyl flooring will creak, crackle, and squeak as a consequence.
How Do You Repair a Noisy or Squeaky Vinyl Floor?
Some practical and simple methods for repairing squeaky or loud vinyl flooring are given below.
Refinish the Subfloor
If the major cause of the squeaky or loud vinyl floor is an uneven or incorrectly leveled subfloor, you will need to rebuild the subfloor to address the issue.
To do this, you must first remove the planks and re-prepare the subfloor. If there are any lumps or high places in the subfloor, grind them down to make them level with the surrounding surfaces.
Alternatively, if the floor has several low spots or gaps, fill those areas using a floor leveling compound to level it.
Widen the Expansion Gap
If the space between the vinyl flooring planks and the walls is too small, you can make it 3/8 inch bigger in some places.
When a proper expansion gap is provided, the boards will have enough area to expand in warmer periods such as the morning and contract in colder nights. As a result, expansion gaps will aid in reducing squeaky sounds.
Reinstall vinyl flooring correctly.
When replacing the vinyl flooring over the subfloor, carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions. And this time, after replacing the vinyl floors, use a floor roller to provide enough pressure to seal the boards snugly and solve the squeaky flooring issue.
Set up an Underlayment
Though vinyl flooring does not need any additional underlayment, if you replace the vinyl flooring, you should also put an underlayment over the wooden subfloor or existing floor.
Because underlayment acts as an additional noise barrier, it will solve the squeaky or loud vinyl floor issue. Use the underlayment recommended by the manufacturer or flooring professional.
Glue the flooring planks down.
If nothing appears to be working well, contact a flooring contractor and have the planks glued down while reinstalling. It is most effective on an uneven subfloor. All types of creaking, cracking, and squeaky vinyl flooring issues may be solved by gluing them down.
How Can I Avoid Noisy Vinyl Flooring?
A few helpful tips are below to help you keep vinyl flooring from making noises that you don’t like.
Make An Even Subfloor
The subfloor, as is well known, plays a significant role in avoiding loud vinyl flooring. As a result, take great care in preparing the subfloor.
Seem for high and low locations and take the necessary procedures to grind or sand down the higher spots to make them look equal, and add floor leveling compound to the lower ones.
Before installing, make sure the subfloor is clean. This way, there will be no dirt, dust, or debris left behind.
Set up the vinyl flooring.
It’s always a pain to reinstall it. So, if you don’t want to deal with it, or if you don’t want to deal with a loud floor, make sure you install the vinyl flooring properly in the first place by following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Also, use enough pressure to ensure that the boards are securely locked.
Make use of Compliant Underlayment.
Again, placing an underlayment is always a good idea since it not only acts as a moisture barrier but also as a noise barrier.
So, whether or not your vinyl flooring requires an underlayment, you may install one that is compatible with the vinyl flooring planks.
In such a situation, contact the manufacturer directly or seek expert guidance. Also, avoid using a thick underlayment.
Should I be concerned about squeaky floors?
You should not be concerned about squeaky flooring. Though a squeaky floor is not a common problem with most flooring, as long as it is not caused by a structural problem or termites, it is nothing to be concerned about.
You should only be concerned if the floor is structurally weak or has been damaged by termites, which makes it more likely to fall at any time.
If you don’t see any of these problems, you can be sure that squeaky floors can be quickly fixed by using the right repair methods.
Is baby powder effective for squeaky floors?
Baby powder may help to alleviate squeaky flooring to some degree. It is said to be a rapid remedy for noisy flooring.
If you have noisy flooring boards, sprinkle baby powder over the squeaky regions and the seams between the flooring planks. The baby powder acts as a lubricant, lubricating the floors so they don’t grind against one another and generate squeaky noises.
Do Rugs Aid in the Treatment of Creaky Floors?
Rugs are velvety and thick, and they are the least expensive way to minimize noise from a squeaky floor. However, keep in mind that carpets will not solve any creaking floor issues.
Because the carpets are relatively thick, the creaking sound will be muffled as you walk over creaking places. Rugs will merely reduce noise and make the space quieter.
Is WD-40 Effective for Squeaky Floors?
For squeaky flooring, WD-40 in a moderate concentration is an excellent solution. Because this wood-safe “Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray” is an excellent solution for lubricating noisy floorboard joints and making the flooring quieter.
The only problem with WD-40 is that it is flammable. So be cautious while using it.
Who Do You Call When You Have Squeaky Floors?
If you have a squeaky floor, you should contact a framing contractor. Because they know how to build a home the right way and how to fix problems if they happen.
Calling a handyman service or a floor person to remedy squeaky floors is not a good idea since they may not be well-versed in the subject.
Is vinyl flooring quieter than laminate flooring?
Vinyl flooring does not have a lower noise level than laminate flooring. It’s also a drawback of vinyl flooring. Because of the way laminate flooring is made, it may absorb noise more effectively than vinyl flooring.
All households enjoy the sound-dampening properties of laminate flooring.
The major cause of your vinyl floor’s creaking, crackling, and squeaking is a poorly leveled or uneven subfloor. As a result, if you address the subfloor concerns, your vinyl flooring will not create any noise.