determining floor type for dealing with squeaks

Question

Just received my anti-squeak kit in the mail. The instructions for using the joist-finding screw are different for "hardwood floors"...

...each plank in a hardwood floor has nails in it... you need to drive the anti-squeak screws down into the plank that is visibly moving or where the noise is coming from, not necessarily into the joist.

On plywood, or chipboard floors, the nails are drive into the joist to hold the floor down. Over time, the nails loosen... On this type of floor we use the Joist Finder, find the joist, and fasten the floor to the joist.

...and "softwood floors".

Question: based on the attached photo of my flooring (it's a multi-apartment 3-storey building in North America, constructed in the 1980s) will I have more luck eliminating the squeaks by driving the screws into the joist or directly into the area that squeaks?

Answer 1

if that is old hard wood a screw would most likely split the wood i would use a good deck adhesive then predrill small holes if you can without them being noticable use finish nails and always try to hit a joist if u can most are 16"or 24"on center or apart from each other