Man, I swear some floors just love to mess with us. I’ve screwed down subfloors before—sometimes it helps, sometimes the creak just migrates like it’s got legs. Reclaimed wood looks cool but honestly, it can be just as noisy. Old houses, old problems...
- Totally get it—sometimes I think my floors are auditioning for a haunted house gig.
- Load distribution’s like that one cousin who never shows up where you expect... you fix one spot, and the noise pops up somewhere else.
- Reclaimed wood? Looks killer, but yeah, it’s like inheriting someone else’s creaks. Adds “character,” right?
- I’ve tried shims, screws, even a prayer or two—sometimes you just gotta live with the charm (and the squeak).
sometimes you just gotta live with the charm (and the squeak)
Charm is one word for it... I call it “eco-acoustic ambiance.” But seriously, has anyone tried those underlayment pads made from recycled denim? I swear, they helped with my last project—though maybe my ears just got used to the noise. Does anyone else feel like the more sustainable the material, the more “personality” it brings to the party?
Denim underlayment—yeah, I’ve used it a couple times. It does muffle the squeaks a bit, but I swear every “green” product has its own quirks. Sometimes it’s a weird smell, sometimes it’s a new kind of creak. Maybe that’s just the price of eco-friendliness? I’ll take a little personality over toxic fumes any day, though.
Load distribution is one of those things that sounds simple in theory, but in practice? It’s a whole different animal, especially with “green” underlayments like denim. I’ve noticed that while denim does a decent job absorbing sound, it’s not as rigid as some of the old-school options. That can mean the floor flexes a bit more, which sometimes creates new noises or even a bit of bounce. Not always a dealbreaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re laying heavier flooring or have furniture that doesn’t play nice with a little give.
I hear you on the quirks—had a batch of recycled underlayment once that smelled like a thrift store for weeks. Still, I’ll take that over the headaches I used to get from some of the old foam stuff. Guess it’s just a matter of picking your battles... and maybe airing things out before you install.
