Noticed my living room floor started bouncing like a trampoline last Tuesday. Poked around the edges with a flashlight and saw gaps between boards big enough to lose coins in. Floor felt like walking on a sponge cake – weird stuff. Googled “sprung floor fix” at 2am while drinking cheap beer, then fell asleep watching YouTube tutorials.
Gearing Up
Hit the hardware store after work Wednesday. Grabbed:
- A tube of construction adhesive
- Box of 2-inch screws
- Cheap cordless drill
- Bag of wood shims
- Knee pads (thank god for these)
Total damage: $87 and my wife’s eye-roll when I tracked sawdust onto the carpet.
The Dirty Work
Cleared all furniture Saturday morning. Pulled up the baseboard with a crowbar – came off easier than I thought. Found the problem straight away: the joist underneath had shrunk away from the floorboards. Big half-inch gap like a hungry mouth waiting for dirt.
Squeezed adhesive into that crack like frosting on a cake. Jammed wood shims into the space until they stuck tight. Drilled pilot holes every 6 inches along the joist to avoid splitting wood. Dropped like three screws on the floor trying to load them one-handed – swear words were said.
Pro tip I learned the hard way: Drill slower than you think. That first screw went straight through the floorboard like butter – had to pull it out and cover the hole with filler later. Felt like an idiot for five solid minutes.
Why Bother DIY?
Last year hired “pros” to fix drywall. Paid $1200 cash. Two weeks later the patch fell off like a scab. When I called, the number was disconnected. Had to redo it myself anyway. Contractors in this town either charge arm and leg or disappear like ghosts after taking deposit.
Remembered my dad’s rusty toolbox sitting in the garage. Dude worked construction 35 years – could fix anything with duct tape and stubbornness. Found his old level inside caked with dirt. Wiped it clean thinking if he could rebuild our porch drunk with one hand, I could handle some floor squeaks.
Finishing Touches
Let the adhesive cure overnight. Sunday morning jumped on the spot that used to bounce – solid like concrete! No more creaky symphony when walking across the room. Hammered the baseboard back on, wiped off glue smudges with mineral spirits. Whole job took about five hours spread over two days – mostly because I kept stopping to check sports scores on my phone.
Sitting here now with coffee looking at my dumb floor. Doesn’t look different at all. But that’s the point – fixed the problem without making a new mess. Saved probably $500 on quotes I got. More satisfying than ordering some stranger to do it. Next weekend? Might just sit on my fixed floor watching TV instead.
