A shim is a small wooden wedge. The next time you leave the house, you’ll want to pick up a few of these at your local hardware store. You’ll also need another person to be able to find the creaky spots on your floor.

Stand in your basement while the other person walks on the floor above you. Once you’re standing under a creaky board, take one of the shims and insert it between the gap between the subfloor (plywood) and the joist (supporting wood beam).

If the gap between the subfloor and the joist is too large for a single shim to be effective, use construction adhesive to close the gap. Make sure the construction adhesive gets into the gap, otherwise it won’t work.

When looking at or squeaking your floorboards, you might notice that the joist (wooden beam that supports the floor) is damaged. Over time, it’s not uncommon for the joist to slightly separate from the subfloor when it warps or deteriorates. Don’t worry. This is still an easy fix.

If the source of the squeak is coming from the joists themselves, you’ll need to up the ante. Get some 2×8 blocks from the hardware store and put a bead of construction adhesive along the edge that will be placed against the subfloor.

Don’t try this method unless you’re pretty sure you won’t be drilling into your new hardwood floors. If you hear a squeaking noise between the joists, it’s likely because the wood floor is rubbing against the plywood below.

To stop the squeaking, you’ll need to drive short screws into the plywood. Make sure the screws are short enough that they won’t make a hole in the wood floor above. If you’re not sure if you have the right size, try driving a screw in from the bottom of the closet. No one will notice a hole drilled into the closet if you screw up.