Screwing Down Creaky Floorboards

I have some floorboards that are really creaky and have taken up the carpet to replace it. I have read previous posts which suggest screwing them down where they are loose and to avoid screwing into pipes and electrical cables - but would anyone be able to tell me how I can avoid them? How would I know where they are? I have screwed down the boards in the sitting room years ago but never thought of cables etc. - just happily screwed away, but now I'm not so confident. Also are screws better than nails for the job? Thanks in advance for any help.

Where the existing nails are would be a start. If you can remove a nail and replace it with a screw then you should be ok. Otherwise go right beside the nail. I'm not a carpenter or anything like that so i'm open to correction.

ollie

thanks for that ollie323 - it makes sense

If you still need to screw nails and bang screws into things, you can get a small battery-powered detector which detects the presence of both metal and electric current. It costs very little, will last for years (provided you don't screw something through it). Provided you get one of the better-known makes, they are entirely reliable and you can serew and bang away merrily.

For these floorboards, screws are better to use than nails because you can remove them easily. If you decide to use nails, make sure you get real floor nails. If you decide to use screws, you will need to countersink the hole so that the screw sits flush with the board's surface and does not protrude.