"Bouncy" chipboard floor

[Houseslave]

My house was originally two cottages. Upstairs floors have been covered in chipboard. When you walk across the floor, it bounces. I have looked at the chipboard and it is screwed and nailed to the floor joists. Not sure what action to take to cure the problem. Has anyone had experience of this before?

 

[mastermonkey]

Had a bouncy loft floor. I took all the t+g chipboard up, screwed the noggins that the builders had nailed, put an additional set of noggins in, put new chipboard down then used these screws (instead of nails) to fix it.
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/56431...T-Star-Flooring-Screws-4-5-x-60mm-Pack-of-150

Making sure all joists were hit with screws - not missed with nails, like the original installed did.

Now no squeaks or bouncyness (yet)

 

[JohnD]

if it used to be old cottages, the joists might be undersized, especially if it is a converted attic, or there may have been movement in the wall meaning they are not properly supported.

Is the bounce worst at joints in the chipboard, or at the ends of the room next to one of the walls, or in the middle of the room?

have any downstairs walls been removed, e.g. to make a through lounge?

p.s. if you take up the old flooring, replace it with ply. Chipboard is an awful material.

 

[indizine]

I have a similar problem, except my floorboards squeak.

Ref the link to the screws above, which is what I originally came here to ask/find out (i.e. which type should I use) how do I know where the joists are? I don't plan to take up my boards, I just want to screw them down as they only have nails in and the squeaking is terrible in one particular bedroom. Should I just follow the course of the nails and hope they were nailed into the joists?

cheers for your help.

ps im not a diy person, and this will be my first time using a drill

 

[masona]

Put in extra screws in very near the nails as possible, the biggest problem with T&G chipboard flooring is that most of them never been glued. Sometime you can get away with rubbing talc powder in the joints

 

[indizine]

ok thanks. I think bodgit n scarper built my house!

 

[JohnD]

drilling, nailing and screwing into a floor without knowing what's underneath is a great way to improve you plumbing and electrical repair skills.

Pipes and cables are often run in notches in joists.

 

[indizine]

so what do you suggest JohnD?