methods for removing hardwood flooring?

[david]

hi,

I laid my border around the (yet to be installed)cooktop island in a herringbone pattern, working inward...there are 10 rows of 3 1/4" red oak, with cherry on the outside rows. I did a beautiful job, except I screwed up the layout, and now have to tear it all up and re-do it (penance for my stupidity)...I know it would bother me forever if I don't fix it.

there is space in the middle from which to start working...Also, I had cut slots in the ends of all the runs to lock them into the tongues of the preceeding row...

The method I will try is to pry the boards up gently with a gorilla bar, and sawzall the nails from underneath, then work them out of the tongues of the row behind. I tried using a palm nailer with a punch to set the nails, but it bounced around too much. Is it rediculous to think I can save the flooring and re-use it? Is there a better method of uninstalling hardwood?

all advice considered and appreciated...

david

[FEngelman]

don't know how well this will work on a herringbone, but I usually cut a long wedge out of a 2x4, about a foot or two long, and drive it under the boards I want to remove, from the tongue, end.....as I drive it under the boards, with a sledge hammer, they pop up pretty well... then just bend the nails over, and re-lay them... of course, this is when they are installed with either finish nails, or flooring cleats... also will work with staples....you didn't mention what kind of fasteners you used, but I'm assuming that you didn't use cut nails, as they would be impossible to sawzall thru.... with a herring bone, I should think you would have to attack the pattern twice, at the same time, 90 to each other, but then, sisnce you've also tongued them at each end joint, you might be in for long battle....let me know how this works out...

[Wilson]

[david]

thanks for the reply....I came up with the same idea last night; I used long wedges to get the carpet underlayment up before I put down the hardwood ...I used senco L-head barbed cleats, btw...

david

FEngelman wrote:

[david]

I have started the removal, and it is going smoothly, with no damage to about 90% of the boards. I cut about 25 wedges out of yellow pine 2by, and have been driving them under the tongue edge of the runs, and the 90 degree corners simultaneously. when the boards are loosened I can place a slim prybar in the crack on the groove side and tap the board out of the tongue behind it. I then tap the nails thru from the back, and pull them with nippers using the tongue for leverage, so the edge stays clean. As I said, it is working well, and I saved almost all the wood so far.

If I had made a similar mistake in a client's houses I would have had to redo it, so I might as well do the same for my own house...if I can figure out how to post pictures, I'll do that...

thanks for the suggesti> hi,