One of my housemates put his air conditioner in the window so that it tilted into the room. The first time it rained, the rainwater funnelled through the A/C and left a large, 1/2-inch deep puddle over much of his bedroom floor. This caused the floorboards, which are old and about 2in. wide, to warp up (I don't think the wood warped, really--the boards just swelled and pushed themselves up and over one another, like this - _/\_/\_ ).

We let the wood dry out, and the swelling has gone down, but the boards are still not lying flat. Is there a way to push them back into place?

Rachel, November 2005

Yes, get 2" finishing nails and a drill and drill bit slightly smaller than the nail thickness. Drill holes close to the edge of the board and ends where it is sticking up. Than push the board down and someone else hammer a nail in each hole. Than fill in with matching wood filler. Don't put to many holes in, it's just to hold down the board. If this doesn't work, you'll have to just replace those boards.

Paul, August 2007