Squeaks, Honks, and the Tiptoe Dance

I really like old squeaky houses. There's just so much character in creaky staircases and door hinges.

But when the squeaks get too high pitched and mousy, or too low and turn to honks, we have a problem.

Our squeaky floors had gone way beyond warm antiquity to something more like, I don't know... a bullfrog choir... or dying geese. I'm not sure which.

Father suggested I use some screws to tighten things up a bit, so I took an evening to do just that. After measuring the location of all the floor joists from the basement I mapped out their location on the floor with some line guides.

I rubbed a little soap on the screws to help them go into the hardened wood a little better.

It really turned out to be quite easy. I just drove a few screws and then jumped around on my tiptoes listening for more honks. If I found one, I drove more screws.

Screws. Tiptoe dance. Screws. Tiptoe dance.

By the time I got done the floor was SILENT! Oh man, what a sweet victory!