Hello everyone!
I have a question about a creaking and cracking wooden beam ceiling. Unfortunately, I am a complete layperson, but I am trying to describe the problem as clearly as possible.
We bought a house a few months ago, built in the late 1970s. There is a wooden beam ceiling between the ground floor and the upper floor. The previous owner had carpet on the upper floor, and underneath were apparently chipboard panels fixed directly to the beams. When walking on the upper floor, you could hear creaking with almost every 2nd or 3rd step, which bothered us a lot. So, we hired a craftsman to find a solution. He supposedly fixed the chipboard with over 1000 screws, then installed screed element panels with impact sound insulation (Fermacell with mineral wool), a sound reduction layer (parquet underlay 5mm (0.2 inches)), and a leveling compound. On top of that came the floor covering and vinyl flooring (PVC design flooring), which was glued down.
Here is the current situation:
1.) It no longer creaks with every step. However, after several hours without anyone being on the upper floor (especially after the night), it creaks very loudly in some rooms, but only once at each spot. Apparently, something is being compressed by weight. When walking on the floor again afterward, it creaks no more. But after a while without load, the creaking returns. This seems to depend on the weather, since this phenomenon has not been observed on very warm days.
2.) Even worse is another issue: about 2 ½ months after the floor was installed, loud cracking started. This began around the end of March. Even when nobody is upstairs, it cracks. Sometimes quieter, but often very loudly, as if the floor is under tension and something is loosening (we hear it in the bedroom on the ground floor). This noise is loud enough to have woken us up several times at night, which is very stressful. This problem does not always occur. Possibly this too is related to weather or wind, but we have not been able to determine this yet.
For better understanding, here are some details:
We wondered why the problem did not occur for 2 ½ months. During that time, our attic was insulated and is now significantly heavier. There are two non-load-bearing wooden frame walls on the upper floor. It is possible that the attic’s weight is pressing on these walls, which transmit the pressure, causing the creaking that we hear on the ground floor. Therefore, two temporary supports were installed upstairs (between the upper floor and attic). The noise, however, continues.
Additionally, the baseboards were glued to the walls. This modification was done shortly before the cracking started, although I can’t imagine it is related.
It is also possible that something is too heavy (attic or upper floor), as a concrete floor (or at least a concrete layer) on the upper floor was rejected by the structural engineer.
Another idea proposed by the craftsman was moisture remaining in the floor causing the creaking, as several liters of water were used (all rooms were repainted, wallpapered, and then the leveling compounds for the floor were applied). We have since used a room dehumidifier for a week, but without the desired result.
Although this is quite a lengthy description, I hope I have made the problem clear.
So now my questions:
Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this?
How can we narrow down the issue?
And most importantly, how can it be resolved?
I would be very grateful for any suggestions and tips!
Thank you very much in advance for your support!
I have a question about a creaking and cracking wooden beam ceiling. Unfortunately, I am a complete layperson, but I am trying to describe the problem as clearly as possible.
We bought a house a few months ago, built in the late 1970s. There is a wooden beam ceiling between the ground floor and the upper floor. The previous owner had carpet on the upper floor, and underneath were apparently chipboard panels fixed directly to the beams. When walking on the upper floor, you could hear creaking with almost every 2nd or 3rd step, which bothered us a lot. So, we hired a craftsman to find a solution. He supposedly fixed the chipboard with over 1000 screws, then installed screed element panels with impact sound insulation (Fermacell with mineral wool), a sound reduction layer (parquet underlay 5mm (0.2 inches)), and a leveling compound. On top of that came the floor covering and vinyl flooring (PVC design flooring), which was glued down.
Here is the current situation:
1.) It no longer creaks with every step. However, after several hours without anyone being on the upper floor (especially after the night), it creaks very loudly in some rooms, but only once at each spot. Apparently, something is being compressed by weight. When walking on the floor again afterward, it creaks no more. But after a while without load, the creaking returns. This seems to depend on the weather, since this phenomenon has not been observed on very warm days.
2.) Even worse is another issue: about 2 ½ months after the floor was installed, loud cracking started. This began around the end of March. Even when nobody is upstairs, it cracks. Sometimes quieter, but often very loudly, as if the floor is under tension and something is loosening (we hear it in the bedroom on the ground floor). This noise is loud enough to have woken us up several times at night, which is very stressful. This problem does not always occur. Possibly this too is related to weather or wind, but we have not been able to determine this yet.
For better understanding, here are some details:
We wondered why the problem did not occur for 2 ½ months. During that time, our attic was insulated and is now significantly heavier. There are two non-load-bearing wooden frame walls on the upper floor. It is possible that the attic’s weight is pressing on these walls, which transmit the pressure, causing the creaking that we hear on the ground floor. Therefore, two temporary supports were installed upstairs (between the upper floor and attic). The noise, however, continues.
Additionally, the baseboards were glued to the walls. This modification was done shortly before the cracking started, although I can’t imagine it is related.
It is also possible that something is too heavy (attic or upper floor), as a concrete floor (or at least a concrete layer) on the upper floor was rejected by the structural engineer.
Another idea proposed by the craftsman was moisture remaining in the floor causing the creaking, as several liters of water were used (all rooms were repainted, wallpapered, and then the leveling compounds for the floor were applied). We have since used a room dehumidifier for a week, but without the desired result.
Although this is quite a lengthy description, I hope I have made the problem clear.
So now my questions:
Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this?
How can we narrow down the issue?
And most importantly, how can it be resolved?
I would be very grateful for any suggestions and tips!
Thank you very much in advance for your support!
@Elina: Thanks for your detailed explanation. Especially the decoupling of the non-load-bearing walls might actually improve the situation.
@Caspar: It’s not a lot of moisture. In some rooms, the collection container is completely empty; in others, there were maybe the equivalent of two glasses of water at the beginning, but nothing afterwards. If necessary, we will probably have to bring in an expert. The problem, of course, is that the noise doesn’t occur consistently. So how can the issue be pinpointed more precisely, and what potential solutions are there? That might help us move forward a bit.
@Caspar: It’s not a lot of moisture. In some rooms, the collection container is completely empty; in others, there were maybe the equivalent of two glasses of water at the beginning, but nothing afterwards. If necessary, we will probably have to bring in an expert. The problem, of course, is that the noise doesn’t occur consistently. So how can the issue be pinpointed more precisely, and what potential solutions are there? That might help us move forward a bit.