It is probably far easier to count the number of people who have never encountered a floor that has squeaked and creaked than it would be to find the billions of people who have heard that noise that always causes them to jump no matter how quiet it is.

Some people put up with it, others call a flooring specialist to see what the problem is but few people understand what causes that noise in the first place.

The most common reason for floors creaking in residential and office buildings is related to the subfloor system the building uses, which is the flooring layer directly connected to the top of the floor joists that give the building structural rigidity.

The subflooring is typically secured with either glue, screws, nails or a combination and if it starts to squeak or move, this is typically a sign that it is not secured properly.

Wood tends to naturally flex, shrink and expand in reaction to humidity and temperature, but securing the floor firmly will help a great deal in this regard.

To that end, screwing and glueing is also a better option than using nails, as it is possible for a nail gun to miss the connection between the subfloor and floor joists, leaving parts of the floor secure.

This emphasises the importance of using a specialist flooring provider, as they put quality and long-lasting flooring first, avoiding potential long-term issues that are more expensive to fix than if they were done right the first time.

Wood filler can help stop boards from moving and rubbing together, and if you have a subfloor and then wooden floorboards on top of it, a dry lubricant such as powdered graphite can reduce friction between the two surfaces and by extension reduce the rubbing sound.

All of these are jobs for professionals, who will also inspect and carefully diagnose the problem for you, as a squeaky floor can be a sign of a much bigger issue with your floor.