Floor-fastening-performance-and-squeaking

Of the fastening systems evaluated, the usual 60 mm particleboard flooring nail is the worst in terms of shrinkage gaps and only slightly better than the short nail in terms of joint stiffness. The screw is the best mechanical fastener but is inferior to the glued joint in terms of shrinkage gaps and joint stiffness.There are worthwhile benefits of squeak reduction and increased joist stiffness to be obtained by gluing sheet flooring to floor joists with construction adhesive. There is an additional cost for gluing but this may be partially offset by reduced nailing requirements. Foil insulation can be used between the flooring and the joist provided that a strip of foilis removed from the top of the joist.In Australia, gluing of particleboard to joists is required in their residential timber-framed construction code, AS 1684.2– 1999. New Zealand should also adopt this practice more widely.