Floorboards -squeak is moving!

[Lusi83]

I have the most dreadfully squeaky floorboards...running from the landing area into a bedroom...
The landing area was hacked up (badly) for the installation of central heating...I have lifted and re-screwed the boards as well as I can ...landing is now almost squeak free...but it made the bedroom worse -so I have screwed into the next joist along - and the squeak has moved further into the room....so I did the next joist - and it seems even worse...

None of the boards were obviously nailed/screwed down at all (makes it hard to find the joists!) - and the boards seem to have a slight upwards curve. Before the access I think they were long boards running from one bedroom wall across the landing and into the second bedroom wall...(house built 1970). Only have a problem with the 4 boards that were hacked...
I don't have a similar problem in the other bedroom...

Should I keep screwing into each joist along until I reach the wall? Or is there a better way....
Do I have to do 2 screws into each board -or could I get away with just one in the centre? Is there any point trying to just screw down into every second joists? Any other suggestions?
Talking 8 screws per joist, looking at needing to put in 40+ more screws - even with pilots drilled my electric drill is struggling and I have a blister on my hand already .....

 

[HERTS P&D]

Never screw in the centre of a floor board!

When the boards were lifted, the central heating pipes are normally laid in the centre so buy you screwing there would cause a leak.

Remove the floor boards and mark where the pipes and joists are. Supply 2 screws per joist, this will also stop the floor boards from 'cupping', coming up at the edges.

Good luck and mind the pipes and cables.

PS Go and buy a cordless drill/driver.

Andy

 

[Lusi83]

Thanks... I bit the bullet and screwed along the 4 boards for 4 joists using 2 screws (32 screws!) still a bit squeaky - but now mainly under the bed!
have an electric screwdriver but it is one of those that is only suitable for putting flat pack together - and my drill does do screws -only it doesnt have a torque setting ...ended up chewing the driver bit! Maybe I do need a new one...

Interesting about the pipes running in the centre of floorboards...I know anyway my heating installation was a bit of bodge job - when I lifted the boards around there the installation hatch(es) -I found that one had been notched out for more than the whole width of a floor board - for one 22mm pipe - obviously didn't line up - I pulled some bits of joist out of the void (along with a couple of coffee cups, crisp packets and fag butts) and fixed them back on the joist and screwed into that ....another the notch is at the edge of a board - it just rests on the very edge can't fix it down - would split the board if you tried to -
if you tried to screw into at one side you would hit the pipes...guess the moral is to check with a detector...(which I have but it is a bit rubbish..doesn't detect joists very well.)