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really hope someone here can come up with an idea to get me out of this one:

I recently laid a new floor in my dining room, it's solid oak and it actually looks quite good considering I put it down!

Only problem is, it's quite creaky when you walk on it.

I asked a few friends (one contractor builder, the rest just amateur DIY'ers like me) about the best way to lay it, and they all said to install it as a "floating" floor. So I went out and bought a load of fixing clips, and as I went along, I put one clip about every 3 foot from each other between each strip of flooring.

Now I'm not so sure if that was needed, as I was laying it onto existing floorboards.

I'm pretty sure it's the fixing clips which are causing the floor to creak, but I don't think I'm going to be able to lift it all up (without damaging it all), as the clips are holding it all together pretty tight. Any ideas on how I can stop the creaking?

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if you laid it over existing flooring ie an original hardwood or laminate floor, i think that is where your problems start. Usually floating floors are installed on a subfloor(plywood) and there is typically some kind of underlayment. Unfortunately I am thinking you ar going to need to pull everything up and start over.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5054259_lay-floating-floor-engineered-flooring.html

Step by step to help you out. Depending on where you got your flooring, you may be able to get help there too.

Also, usually floating floors are Engineered(laminate) and not solid hardwood. If your trully have a solid hardwood, then you have laid it wrong entirely.

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    Thanks for answering - I think you're right with the engineered flooring, don't think it's actual hardwood. In either case, ripping it up seems to be the "correct" thing to do, but for the case of a few creaks, it's an awful lot of work and cost for what it'll achieve, so I think I'll just put up with it for now. Thanks again.
    – Jaymz
    Commented Jan 26, 2012 at 16:52
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For a non-floating floor, you would stand on the squeaky part while someone screwed in through the sub-floor in to the squeaky part of the floor.

I've never dealt with floating floors before, but I assume this is not an option because the movement might cause cracks?

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    And if you don't have access from below, there are some 'anti squeek' kits available with screws that break off. (so you can screw it down, then break the head off, then putty over the hole). Unfortunately, he's dealing with a floating floor, so it's not the right solution for this case.
    – Joe
    Commented Jul 22, 2010 at 15:44
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    I'm kind of questioning whether it's actually a "floating floor". I've got the clips on which are meant to be used for a floating floor, but it's laid directly onto floor boards underneath... have I just made a monumental cock-up? (Be blunt...)
    – Jaymz
    Commented Jul 22, 2010 at 19:30
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    If the new flooring attached to the sub-floor either with glue, nails, or staples then I don't think it's floating floor. Floating floor planks are attached to each other via interlocking tabs and sometimes glue, but they're not attached to the sub-floor itself. You said the floor was laid over floor boards, was there a wood floor before, or do you mean the plywood sub-floor?
    – Chris Vesper
    Commented Sep 28, 2010 at 21:40

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