I wondered if anyone has any tips on how to take up floorboards with minimal damage? I've tried using a bolster chisel under the edge of the board to chop through the nails. Often it does the nearest nail OK but the board splits before it reaches the second nail. I'm hoping to take up a whole floor in one room and renew it but I would like to keep the old boards to repair the floor in an outbuilding.
Removing Floorboards
- Thread starter fidom
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i tend to bang a bolster down on 1 side and using my foot GENTLY push the board up,then remove bolster and carry out the same to the other side of board,DO NOT ATTEMPT to try and take up boards using a bolster from 1 side only,all that happens is a lot of broken boards and swearing.
Are you asking how to lift a single T&G softwood board, or how to cleanly lift a whole floor of T&G?
A circular saw with an old, fine blade set at 15mm for imperial dimensioned sections, can be run along the tongue, finish the cut with a thin chisel. Cut the nails and the wood with the saw.
Insert a thin chisel, or bolster ( two are best ) or similar, to slightly prise up the tongue side.
Wedge the prised board up, and repeat along the board.
A glancing blow from a (lump) hammer will vibrate the board into the newly cut slot, ie. it will free the grooved side.
Once a short length of board is free, the remaining length will begin to pop up.
Work slowly and carefully.
A circular saw with an old, fine blade set at 15mm for imperial dimensioned sections, can be run along the tongue, finish the cut with a thin chisel. Cut the nails and the wood with the saw.
Insert a thin chisel, or bolster ( two are best ) or similar, to slightly prise up the tongue side.
Wedge the prised board up, and repeat along the board.
A glancing blow from a (lump) hammer will vibrate the board into the newly cut slot, ie. it will free the grooved side.
Once a short length of board is free, the remaining length will begin to pop up.
Work slowly and carefully.
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This floor is not T&G, just plain planks. The Hungarians have some strange building methods. There are widely spaced joists but the gaps between the joists are filled up with sand and rubble. The joists are just sitting on soil so they inevitably go rotten. In this case the boards themselves have rotted in 2 areas. The first 4 boards along one edge had rotted and are now out. There is rot in about half the remaining boards but only the end few inches where they meet an internal wall. It looks like they only used a damp course in the outside walls so the dividing walls are liable to get rising damp.
The end joists are a few inches from the wall so I can cut the boards to remove the rotted ends together with their joist. This will leave just 4 joists that need to be detached from each board. All the joists will be scrapped so I don't mind damaging them.
The end joists are a few inches from the wall so I can cut the boards to remove the rotted ends together with their joist. This will leave just 4 joists that need to be detached from each board. All the joists will be scrapped so I don't mind damaging them.
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