A guy I work with told me he used baby powder when he installed his hardwood to help eliminate squeeks. I was just wondering if this was something that's been around for awhile and if any of you professionals have ever used it.

This guy told me he dumped baby powder all over his underlayment, then broomed it out. Then rosin paper. Then more powder. Then his 15# felt. Then more baby powder. Then he installed his hardwood, 3/4". Then he says he filled an old squeeze ketchup bottle from a restaurant with baby powder, and every so often he would squirt some in the grove before installing the next piece into it.

Way too much overkill IMO, but he says he hasn't had a single squeek in the 17 years since he installed that floor. I would credit it more towards prepping the subfloor and installing the underlayment properly, but he swears by the baby powder.

Any thoughts?

I've never done that in 25 yrs. and my floors don't squeek. Red rosin and #15 asphalt felt? Why? Yep, it's overkill. And if he always does it and his floors never squeek, ask if he has done floors without using baby powder; do those always squeek? See what I mean? Just because your doing something and you are not getting a certain problem, doesn't necessarily mean that what you are doing is preventing that problem. Perhaps all he needs to do is nail the floors down properly. That in itself prevents squeeking.

As far as I know, it's the only floor he's ever done. It was in his own home. That being the case, I guess he went overboard on everything for fear of having something go wrong.

He's a carpenter, but no floor coverer. I also asked him why the rosin paper, and he just replied "Why not." I'm sure if he was doing it for someone else, he'd do it like the rest of the world and can the overkill.