"Squeeeak no more" issue

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mukarakaplan

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I bought a "squeeeak no more" floor repair kit to eliminate squeaky floors. The kit has a joist finder that you use to drill through the carpet and plywood to check if there is a joist underneath, and go from there. It worked really well in some of the rooms. However, in some other rooms, the joist finder did not work at all. It simply could not go down below the plywood. I pulled the carpet to see what's there, and it seemed like plywood but the joist finder could not drill through it. I've attached an image. I tried several different spots in this room but experienced the same problem. Any ideas why joist finder cannot go through this floor and how to solve this issue?

20180202_211029.jpg
 
Look for places where the nail heads are that originally secured the flooring if you have the plywood exposed. I've had hit or miss success with stud finders.
 
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Your tool may be hitting knots or even nail plates, which are used to protect utilities.

Sometimes there are just limited options in locating squeaks in carpeted flooring where the foundation is raised, either from beneath or pulling the carpet.

After pulling the carpet and eliminating the hardwood flooring, finding the floor joists beneath the floor sheating is, as mentioned, finding the nailing or stapling pattern, or a stud finder, which range, in price, from the sublime to the ridicules.

Sometimes just prudent pounding on the floor sheating with a hammer will detect the joists.
 
Something I know nothing about.

What is this giant wood screw thing in the photo and how do you use it?
 
Something I know nothing about.

What is this giant wood screw thing in the photo and how do you use it?

Below is a video of how the kit works. In some of the rooms in my house, the kit works just as explained in the video, but in some other rooms, it doesn't even go through the floor more than 1/8 inches (or 3mm). It feels as if the entire floor of the room below the carpet is concrete or a metal sheet. But I take a look at it, and it seems like plywood. But the drill with the joist-finder cannot pierce through it. I don't think it's a nail plate that I hit since I tried several different spots in the room. Can plywood harden over time to this hardness?

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8D9uNvDuto[/ame]
 
Thanks.

Do you have a basement or crawl space below the floor or is it finished basement or second floor?
 
This is happening in the second floor. Mostly in the master bedroom and the hallway, which are right above the living room and kitchen. The kit worked well in the first floor, and the guest bedroom in the second floor.
 
You can try a small pilot hole. But if you end up drilling through a metal plate, you may find it was protecting something.

I tried and couldn't even drill a pilot hole. It turns out that the issue is with the drill itself and not the floors. The part where the bits get attached to the drill doesn't hold them tight enough for some reason. Maybe I broke it after using it a lot in all other rooms. It is a cheap battery operated drill. I bought a new corded drill, and all is well. Thanks a lot for all the help.
 
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