Spring is here, but at my house, winter has left its mark on just about everything. Out back, the old patio deck has been warped by rain, sun, freezes and thaws, its boards no longer laying flat but rattling underfoot. Indoors, things are worse. The floorboards have been groaning since December, desiccated by furnace-heated air until they shrank, came loose and began rubbing against one another.

If either of these problems sounds familiar, this month’s D.I.Y. column is for you. We’ll cover a few simple ways to deal with loud, loose floorboards. We’ll also learn a bit about that humble hero of home repairs — the nail — and how to choose the right one for whatever job you’re working on.