How to Muffle Footsteps on Wood Floors

Hardwood floors are attractive but can cause excessive squeaking when walking if the floors are old or were poorly installed. Reducing the noise level in your home requires softening the impact on the floor while walking, and can easily be accomplished by accessorizing your home with floor runners and area rugs. Alternatively, you can temporarily improve the wood by adding humidity to the environment, which causes the wood floor to expand and reduces the likelihood of squeaky floors.

Area rug
Rubber mat
Humidifier
Talcum powder
Liquid wax

Instructions

- 1
  Place a rubber mat on the floor and cover the rubber mat with an area rug. Area rugs soften your footsteps, and the rubber mat absorbs some of the shock commonly caused by walking around barefoot.
- 2
  Wear socks around the house. Bare feet make a louder noise if you tend to walk heavily, and shoes against hardwood floors put an excessive amount of pressure against the floor. Thick wool or cotton socks cushion your walk, and protects the floor from your feet's natural oils.
- 3
  Place a runner in weak floor spots throughout your home. A runner made of plastic lessens the impact while walking, and reduces the amount of noise when stepping over the floor's weak spot.
- 4
  Use a warm-mist humidifier in your home. A warm-mist humidifier supplies moisture to the air, which expands the hardwood floor to decrease the floor's stiffness. During the winter, the floors shrink due to the cold and have a higher likelihood of squeaking when being walked on.
- 5
  Fill the gaps in between the floor boards with talcum powder or liquid wax. Filling the gaps prevents the floors from shifting when walked upon.

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