Nails in Joists

[mrbodge]

This might be a General Building question, if it is soz. Carpenters more likely to know the score through right?

I have to pull up every floorboard in a room and they are all nailed down.

For the joists integrity is it better for me to bash the nails through the boards into the joists to remove the boards or better to gently lever the boards out taking the nail with them?

When I put the boards back down I will be using screws (even if the nail survived in a board that was pulled up, I will take it out and use screws).

These are square edge boards not T&G.

My only concern is which weakens the joists least. Thanks for the help.

 

[wingcoax]

Six of one ,IMO

 

[gregers]

unless the joists are rotten???then it wont weaken them.
if there cut nails some may come up with the boards,for the 1s that stay just smack them back/forth and they will/should snap.or spend your time painstakingly taking them out.

 

[ladylola]

To be honest if you have to lift every board then just prize them up with a decent piece of timber and you'll find that half pull out and half pull through the boards. Don't really think that there would be any integrity issues but I'd rather not leave them in if there's a likeyhood of me having to drill holes at some point in the joists, pound to a pinch one of the nails will be in the way

 

[ColJack]

I'd say pull them out..
strictly from a couple of points..

1. if you hammer them through and there's a cable / pipe in the way then you could pierce the pipe / cable..
2. lots of hammering might damage the ceiling below.. pulling out is much less likely..

 

[Burnerman]

Pull them out or fatigue them off if you can....especially if the plaster on the ceiling below is fragile! Doesn't matter if its a ground floor project.
John

 

[mrbodge]

I've got one of those plunge cutters that will go through the nails if I wanted it to, but is it a good idea? If I need to pull up a board which needs cutting to be pulled, where is it best to cut? I could cut directly across the nails, figuring they're most likely to be closest to joist centre and therefore maybe redistributing weight better when screwing back down.

Or is that complete cobblers?

 

[wingcoax]

IME the nails are usually in the middle as the old chippies used to nail one board at a time, so i would normally cut just to the side.

 

[mrbodge]

IME the nails are usually in the middle as the old chippies used to nail one board at a time, so i would normally cut just to the side.

Aye I noticed this is what was normally done on them, usually by some legend with a circular saw but wanted to check they only were doing it because they didn't have some of the tools we do now.