Squeaky floors in this old house renovation were about to drive me up the wall. Got them quiet with some candle wax and a careful hand (my grandpa's trick, actually).

4 comments

4 Comments

Tried that trick on my staircase last year. Talcum powder works the same way if you don't have wax handy, just puff it into the crack and work it in. The wax basically lubes up the wood fibers so they don't rub and scream anymore. Just don't go crazy with it or you'll have a slippery spot.

andrewreed1mo ago

Careful, talc can actually damage some wood finishes over time!

charlieb271mo ago

Yeah that "slippery spot" warning is a good one, learned that the hard way myself. I once got a little too happy with the talc and turned my floor into an ice rink. Solid point from @andrewreed about it messing with the finish too, makes total sense. I guess I'm so used to just grabbing whatever's handy to fix a squeak that I forget the long term stuff. Sometimes the quick fix just adds an extra step later.

reese_bennett251mo ago

Remember that time I used baby powder on a squeaky floor and then almost took out my entire coffee table with my socks? I was sliding around like I was trying out for the Olympics. You're totally right about quick fixes making more work later, I've been there too many times. Now I just accept the squeak until I can do it right, it's like my floor's weird way of talking to me.