Can You Fix a Creaky Floor With WD-40?

If there is one question I get asked more often than any other, it is whether WD-40 is a solution for creaky floors. I am a big fan of WD-40 and have been for many years, As someone with an interest in classic cars I would rely on WD40 to help release stubborn, rusted nuts and bolts and my knuckles have always been thankful for its existence.

WD-40 has an interesting history that started in San Diego, California, where a Rocket Fuel Company set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreases for use in the aerospace industry.

As folklore has it, It took them 40 attempts to get their water displacing formula to work, but on the 40th attempt, they got it right) and WD-40 was born.  WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula and to this day the same formula is used.

WD-40 is promoted for having many uses and while I would love to support the theory that WD-40 is some kind of unicorn juice that can polish leather couches, fix creaky gates and do pretty much everything and anything except maybe help your Grandma cross the road, the reality is that much of these applications are myths that have evolved over the 70 years since the product was launched. That said, I have found other uses for WD-40 which are beyond the original vision for what the product could be used for and to this day, I remain a fan of the product.

In my youth, I used to be a VW nut and I used to restore VW Beetles as a hobby, During that time, I built several engines and I would use WD-40 to start and run these engines before I fitted them in the car. A quirt squirt down the carburetor while cranking the engine and vroom, the engine would roar into life. WD-40 is also fantastic for checking for leaks in your car manifold system because if you spray WD-40 where you think the leak might be, the engine revs will increase as it sucks the WD-40 in and combusts the mixture. Yes, WD-40 is THAT combustible that just the vapor being sucked through a tiny hole somewhere is enough to make an engine surge. 

WD-40 is so flammable that there are a number of videos online which show how to make flamethrowers using just a can of WD-40 and a lighter. Check this out!

 
So, with all that in mind, does WD-40 sound like the kind of product you should be spraying on you squeaky Engineered wood or laminate floor? No, because while it might be a novel short-term hack, it should be fairly obvious that it is extremely dangerous to saturate your floor in a liquid that is as combustible as gasoline. The truth is that WD-40 is not any better at fixing creaky floors than PTFE sprays, silicon sprays or any other kind of "lubricating sprays" All of these hacks work for as long as the liquid is wet, you can even apply plain water to your floor, and it will stop the creaking for a day or two!

So, our advice is to not use WD-40 to fix creaky floors. We developed Click Lube, Groove Gasket and Floor-Fix Pro to fix floor creaks in all types of floors. All our products are water based and designed to be used in the home. We recommend using products that are designed for the specific purpose rather that repurposing products designed for heavy machinery or cars. Floor-Fix Pro is the only company (that we know of) that has a later like focus on fixing all types of creaky floors safely, simply and without creating a safety hazard.