Salvage hardwood floor


dwacker

Recommended Posts

Take it up on both ends the best you can.  Then knock the rest loose lengthwise.  Either cleats or staples will yield, and bend up underneath the tongue. Use short pieces of flooring that mesh with the groove on the end as beater blocks to prevent damage to the good pieces.  You only have to move it a couple of inches.  One case where a bigger hammer is the right tool for the job.

 

I had to replace one room of 2-1/4 Red Oak recently.  The original flooring ran lengthwise from that room, across the hall, and lengthwise in the big living room.  I didn't want to have a perpendicular piece at the door opening.  I used a slide hammer dent puller to pull pieces out lengthwise, and pounded in the new pieces which were glued directly to the subfloor.  The whole house was sanded and refinished, and you can't tell what is old flooring and what is new.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PB, I bought some maple flooring to use as a workbench table top. I ran several pieces thru the jointer and what ever kind of crap they put on the surface of this stuff, ate the heck out of my planer blades. But if you're doing it for just a piece for sentimental value, not a consideration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PB, I bought some maple flooring to use as a workbench table top. I ran several pieces thru the jointer and what ever kind of crap they put on the surface of this stuff, ate the heck out of my planer blades. But if you're doing it for just a piece for sentimental value, not a consideration.

 

Nope just a flip that happens to have new floors and my office happens to need some floor work. Just being cheap.

 

Thanks for the info

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reclaimed rarely comes out cheap (depending on labor charges, of course.) The wood has already found its home, and generally doesn't take well to a new one. Prefin is a bit better, as it hasn't been sanded flat against its subfloor, but still.

My two cents (worth exactly that) are: forget floated or glue-down, it can only be nailed. I wouldn't bother trying to plane each board (unless it's a very small install). Use a proper belt sander (or drum, but I don't get good results with those) to sand it flat and take the finish off. 36 or 40 will probably do it, with some work, but the previous posters are correct that prefin finish is a harsh mistress.

All said, new walnut would be a far easier task, in my opinion.

Good luck,

Ryan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Addendum: with regard to demoing the original, try a flatbar and hammer. Get just under the front (tongue side) of the board and try to pry it up and forward gently, in order to preserve the bottom of the groove. Don't use a Skilsaw to reclaim, as you will lose the tongue and groove on the majority of butt joints.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take it up on both ends the best you can.  Then knock the rest loose lengthwise.  Either cleats or staples will yield, and bend up underneath the tongue. Use short pieces of flooring that mesh with the groove on the end as beater blocks to prevent damage to the good pieces.  You only have to move it a couple of inches.  One case where a bigger hammer is the right tool for the job.

 

I had to replace one room of 2-1/4 Red Oak recently.  The original flooring ran lengthwise from that room, across the hall, and lengthwise in the big living room.  I didn't want to have a perpendicular piece at the door opening.  I used a slide hammer dent puller to pull pieces out lengthwise, and pounded in the new pieces which were glued directly to the subfloor.  The whole house was sanded and refinished, and you can't tell what is old flooring and what is new.

This worked. I really didn't understand the instructions but took a shot at what I guessed you were getting at. I cut the first row from each end. T nailed by the way. Knocked the drywall off the wall so I could swing a sledge hammer, luckily the interior wall was on the right end. The entire floor shifted a couple inches with a bit of beating along the width. The floor just lifts up piece by piece. I'm using a nail puller to just pull the nails through with any issues.

Thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad it worked so easily. 

 

For the pieces of flooring I pulled out individually, that I posted about in the previous post, I used a slide hammer dent puller for auto body work.  The one I have has all sorts of attachments for the end.  One is a big hook about three eighths diameter, and not a curved hook, but a little more of an angle than ninety degrees.  I eyeballed a half inch hole at a good angle on the end that was the pulling end, and the piece came right out with some slamming of the slide hammer. I cut out the tarpaper, and put some construction adhesive right on the subfloor to hold the new piece which was pounded in.  It worked like a charm.  I was surprised how easily the piece being pulled yielded, and with no damage to the tongue or groove.  The cleats just folded up under the tongue.

 

I had never done what I suggested that you do with the whole floor, but thought that it would work from the experience I had from pulling the individual pieces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 62 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,758
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined