Creaky Floors And Creepy Neighbors

I took another look, and I was wrong. The extra 50 screws are $9.95 - $12.95, depending on the kind of floor that are to be used on. They can also be used on hardwood and linoleum floors. The kit already includes 50 screws, so at $19.95, the kit really isn't expensive at all. If maintenance won't get this, then I will. I would still prefer to have them do it, not just because of cost, but because getting down on the floor isn't all that easy for me, plus if the neighbor downstairs starts banging while the work is going on, maintenance can deal with them also.

I know this doesn't fix your problem, but your neighbors ARE the problem. If it is normal noise (I live upstairs, and after so many years, just naturally walk the path of least squeaking), then they are the trouble makers with their banging. You have a right to walk around your apartment. You are being careful (which they might not know, or care), so they are being unreasonable, and are actually the ones causing unnecessary noise. Your landlord would be the one who should be responsible for telling your neighbors to stop banging on the ceiling or walls. I know you are trying not to have any trouble, but beyond ignoring these neighbors, it seems to me the actual issue isn't you making noise, but your neighbors unresonably reacting to normal noise. A Guy

All of that is true, but I'm looking for the solution that will keep peace with the neighbors, and at the same time, setup a foundation for dealing with the management if the problem is not resolved. By having them try to fix the floors, and knowing why it is necessary, they should be easier to deal with it the banging persists. I don't want to cause anyone any trouble, but then I don't want them to cause me any either.

Hmm, a thought just occurred to me...maybe I should print this thread and stuff it into an envelope and slide it under the neighbor's door.

EDIT: Nah, if they had a computer, they would probably just come to the forum to troll the thread.

And we'd troll them back.

Do a google for:

man kills neighbors for noise complaints

And most of the stories are about people killing the person who complained about the noise :shock:

A Guy

Buy a nice surround sound system. put the sub-woffer in the middle of the apartment, and the 4/5 other speakers strategically around the apartment playing into the floor. When they start to bang, play "never gonna give you up" really loud.

It's my experience that if you want the job done right then you do it yourself. I see no reason why you won't be able to deduct the cost of materials at the very least for this job. I would tell your downstairs neighbor that you're going to be trying to cure the issue and ask them to write a note as to the noise that they hear and how annoying it is. This along with the cost of materials can be submitted with the rent short that amount. Or you can call the landlord and have them come in to do the work. Talc in my opinion is a short term cure or just a big waste of time.
In dealing with all parties "kill them with kindness" is always the best method !

From a building point of view, the easiest and permanent fix for this problem is to indeed install additional fixing screws through the floorboards into the joists below.

The creaking may very well come from the fact that the majority of the floorboard is nailed (that is what often causes the squeaking noise : the hole in the floor board through which the nail sits has widened ever so slightly over time as the floorboard has dried out, and the floorboard now rides up and down slightly rubbing against the nail). In some cases, its the hole in the joist, and the creaking is due to the board and nail rubbing against the hole in the joist.

If you are lucky and get a good repairman, he will only need to place a few strategic screws to stop the problem.

linnemeyerhere said:

...I would tell your downstairs neighbor that you're going to be trying to cure the issue and ask them to write a note as to the noise that they hear and how annoying it is...

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This advice is good, but I would add that you need to be very careful how you handle this. The last thing you want is to sound like you've made some sort of admission of guilt when all you are doing is moving around normally in your own apartment. I would emphasize the fact that you know what it's like having neighbors above you because you used to be on the ground floor yourself. I think (at least) half the battle here is to convince the neighbors that you are not doing anything unusual, and that while you care, you really can't help with problems caused by deficiencies in the building itself.

This goes back to what I was saying last night about it being "easier to get angry with a stranger than it is with an acquaintance". Before I got to know him a little better I had this mental image that the guy who lived above me was an insensitive clod who didn't give a hoot. I had him stand in my apartment while I walked around in his kitchen where there was not even any carpet to help deaden the noise. Now, my goal here was to show him what it was like for me, having to listen to every step he took. I laughed about it and told him that I knew where he was at all times and could also tell when it was laundry day, since I could follow every step he took from the bedroom to the laundry room. The funny thing was that as I was doing this little experiment I realized how little it took on his part to make what seemed to me like a lot of racket. He got a little more careful and I became a lot more forgiving once we both accepted the fact that the problem was with the building and not with each other.

In dealing with all parties "kill them with kindness" is always the best method !

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Well said!

Hey Pro............You hit the nail on the head. "Kill them with kindness!"
Have them or at least one of them walk around your apartment while you and the other sit in their apartment and listen to the creaky noise. Bring them a cake or desert of sort and let them know you are doing everything possible to make it better for the both of you and that you are not doing it intentionally.
Do the same with the lady who keeps banging on your paper thin walls.

The Howling Wolves said:

Hey Pro............You hit the nail on the head. "Kill them with kindness!"...

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That was linnemeyerhere. I was just agreeing. You make three of us.

profdlp said:

The Howling Wolves said:

Hey Pro............You hit the nail on the head. "Kill them with kindness!"...

Click to expand...

That was linnemeyerhere. I was just agreeing. You make three of us.

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Let's hope he does one of the three then!

mckillwashere said:

Buy a nice surround sound system. put the sub-woffer in the middle of the apartment, and the 4/5 other speakers strategically around the apartment playing into the floor. When they start to bang, play "never gonna give you up" really loud.

Click to expand...

No, I already have 5.1 speakers on my main computer, and 2.0 speakers on the other, but I have disconnected them and am using Sennheiser headsets on both. I am one that does like my audio to be loud and clear, but when I used the regular speakers, it caused one neighbor to bang on the wall regularly. She is also the one that I have already crossed swords with before, in the laundry room, when she removed my wet clothes from the machine, so I already know that it would do no good to try to speak to her. Besides, that was the one thing in which I was somewhat guilty, so I prefer the headsets.

linnemeyerhere said:

It's my experience that if you want the job done right then you do it yourself. I see no reason why you won't be able to deduct the cost of materials at the very least for this job. I would tell your downstairs neighbor that you're going to be trying to cure the issue and ask them to write a note as to the noise that they hear and how annoying it is. This along with the cost of materials can be submitted with the rent short that amount. Or you can call the landlord and have them come in to do the work. Talc in my opinion is a short term cure or just a big waste of time.
In dealing with all parties "kill them with kindness" is always the best method !

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Yes, I agree with both you and Golden. Since it is the nails, rather than the boards that are causing most of the squeaks, talc would not be a solution.

When calmer minds prevail then the world rotates a little smoother and more evenly. Life is short and it's so easy to loose a friend and so tough to make them. In situations like this it's not always easy but the high road of common sense will always benefit you better than the low road which may be fun for a moment but costly for the long term.

It's easy for people to make suggestions, but seekermeister has to live there, is the one who best knows the situation. He wants to fix the cause of the problem with as little bother as possible. A Guy

+1 A Guy, 100% Correct!

Despite the fact that the apt. manager told me that she had made out a work order to fix the floors, it had been so long that I finally gave up and ordered the Squeeeeek No More kit a few days back. Naturally, maintenance knocked on my door a little while ago, wanting to fix the floor. I let him proceed, until he sank the first screw, and saw that he was going to use regular screws for the job, which would leave divots everywhere across the floor.

I stopped him and had him watch the SNM video demonstration, and he was impressed. So he agreed to come back later, after my kit arrives and use it instead. So hopefully, I will end up with a properly repaired floor, even though I will have paid for the kit myself...small price to pay.

Excellent !