Second what Cancook wrote.

Other causes can be OSB/chipboard subfloor delaminating internally. The first time I ran into that about drove me batty(Ok, battier!). The only fix for that is to replace the material.

Subflooring can come loose from floor joists(especially if nailed) and squeak. There are quick spot fixes for joist squeaks if access to the floor joists is available(basement to 1st floor joists). But, nails will always work loose, so trying to fix those is a exercise in frustration.

As far as the carpet, you might be able to find a flooring company that will pull up the carpet, fix the subfloor problems and reinstall the carpet. That will be less expensive than buying new carpet.

I did try and find someone to pull carpet and do the work then replace it because my carpet is in great shape but gave up. I really am considering new carpet only to get the floor boards tight.

Virginia Lynn,

How was your flooring installed? Was is stapled, glued or floated?

I am have no clue how it was installed I did not own the house then. Its a 3000 sq ft house built in 1989. If its the same as the down stairs then they would have been nailed and glued down. The actual flooring material is carpet

As a flooring company specializing in hardwood floors, we run into incredibly squeaky plywood subfloors ALL the time, especially wen pulling up carpet. We do offer an up charge to fix the squeaking. As long as the beams and the subfloor material (plywood, etc) is in goo condition, all you'll really need is some good sized/quality screws. All they have to do is find the beams to screw into.... Sometimes it's harder than it sounds, just because not all builders follow code, as to how many inches are required between beams (especially in developments). The most likely cause of all your squeaking is the use of straight nails instead of screws. (Which is very common to find, especially under carpet)

Good Luck!

The Flooring Blog

I may have read this in a magazine or saw it on a television show. Your carpet maybe able to hide a screw head. If so, run screws through your existing carpet. Take precautions if you have utilities under the area of concern.

I bought a kit at lowes that actually works great IF you can find the floor joists LOL I can not but the screws are made so they break off easily with the tool after you screw them in but we tried for over and hour did not find one joist

Used to do this all the time prior to any flooring install. If there is no other finish flooring other than the carpet, it will be quite easy to quiet down your floor some. You will be able to see how the plywood was nailed. Take a hammer and tap around the floor and notice if the sound changes in certain locations. Doing so will help you locate the joists. This is especially easy as the sound will change noticeably as you tap near and directly over the joists. Using an electronic stud finder may also help.

When I did this on a regular basis, I would pull a loose nail to see what kind of fastener the builder used. If it was smooth common nails, then the entire floor got renailed with hardened spiral flooring nails. You can use those or a good construction fastener screw of an appropriate length...you don't need overly long fasteners.

Even if you get the floor quiet, squeaks can mysteriously appear when the seasons change.

Good luck.

Today I ordered new carpet and they have agreed to screw down all baseboards again. Hopefully this will help the situation. Thanks e1 for your help