I am renewing the wooden floor in a large bedroom (4.8m x 4.0m) The rot is mostly in the joists and I want to salvage as much of the old boards as possible for another job in my barn. The old boards are just planks, not T&G. I've been using a bolster chisel between board and joist with a lump hammer to chop through the nails. This is working OK with minimal damage to the boards but my right arm feels ready to drop off! Is there a less physically punishing way of removing a complete set of floorboards? I wondered if it would be worth getting an SDS bolster chisel and trying that?
Removing Floorboards
- Thread starter fidom
- Start date
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You could try levering the boards up with a wrecking bar (carefully) so that the nails pull up - then dropping the boards back down often leaves the nail head protruding so that you can pull them out with a claw hammer.
John
John
They are round head, only 3" but well rusted in. I've tried levering but obviously you can only lever from the side. The closest nail lifts but then the board splits rather than lifting the inner nail. Yes, if they were cut nails or lost head I would try punching them through but that might be just as hard work as the bolster anyway. I will look at hiring or buying a nail gun for putting the new boards down.
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Could you use a nail punch to make a hole in the top of the nail, and then use a metal drill to drill out the head? You then life the boards.
Need max leverage so long arm tools, a pair of theses and work both sides together.
http://www.buybrandtools.com/acatalog/Ansell_Floor_Board_Lifter.html
http://www.buybrandtools.com/acatalog/Ansell_Floor_Board_Lifter.html
What about one of these for the nails? Looks like it does the least possible damage around the nail. I've seen one, but never used one. Should make short work of 3" rounds.
Incidentally a piece of steel plate or something like an old hand saw blade used between the board and whatever you're levering with minimises the damage to the wood.
Incidentally a piece of steel plate or something like an old hand saw blade used between the board and whatever you're levering with minimises the damage to the wood.
The nail puller is very efficient for pulling out floorboard nails, but leaves indents next to the hole. The jaw tips are hammered in either side of the nail head deep enough to grip the head, then the nail levered out. It only takes a couple of thumps of the slide hammer. Use something like a paint scraper below the lever to stop it marking the board. I have used this method where I screwed the boards back, after countersinking the holes, and it was quick and efficient.
Thanks for all the replies. I did find a slightly less arduous technique and got the last dozen or so boards off today. I knocked in the bolster chisel just to the side of the outer nail to lift the edge of the board slightly. I then knocked in a long cold chisel diagonally toward the inner nail. The taper on the chisel was such that the board would suddenly spring up as the tip got near the nail. The chisel could then be used as a lever to lift the nail clear of the joist.
Hello it seems you have got this issue sorted but in case anyone else is looking for advice, I would suggest using a circular saw to get through the tongue and saw the board off a few inches to the side of the joist. Then lever it up with a pry bar. This will preserve the boards.
If you can't find the joist you can use a magnet to locate the nails.
If you can't find the joist you can use a magnet to locate the nails.
Not T&G boards in OP.
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