dwacker Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Anyone have a trick to salvaging hardwood floors without damaging the material. This is all new prefinished walnut. I want to remove the new floor before we tear down the house and sell the lot. My thinking is I would have to cut the nails with a sawsall. Any better ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 How was it installed? "T" spikes through the tongue? I have had reasonable success with roofing tear off levers. You do lose tongue so a sawzall maybe a better idea for clean salvage. If they are not "T" spikes I punch the fastener through first and then hand pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefmagnus@grics.net Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 How about a shingle removal tool like this one.http://www.ajctools.com/AJC-ShingleSlate-Ripper-Prodview.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefmagnus@grics.net Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 I used a 24G belt on my belt sander to remove the finish then jointed and planned a stack of cherry flooring that I found in a tip next to a building that was being redone. Finish had to be 1/32" thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atratinus Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atratinus Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 I appreciate the advise. I should net about 600 sq ft. Saves me some $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 As a fellow money saver, this story warms my heart. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Here's the exact slide hammer kit I have. I even use it for pulling little pegs with a screw eye, if you can't get to the back of them. http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-5632-Hammer-Puller-9-Piece/dp/B0042D7J32/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414955074&sr=8-2&keywords=slide+hammers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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