Removing Cypress pine flooring

[jackruss]

A big ask I know,

but any trade tips on how to remove 50 year old tongue and groove cypress pine flooring?

Have murdered about 8 boards so far, have tried prying up at each joist, cutting joist and trying to pull the nails thru. Tried cutting the tongues off by running a saw down the joint.

Tomorrow I'm going to use my repro saw and try and cutting the nails under the board.

Any new suggestions.

thanks

JR

[craigb]

Jack,
You don't say why your trying to remove the boards. Presumably you're doing a renno and want to recycle the boards?

Have you tried getting a nail punch and punching the nails through the board?

If you get rid of one board, even if you have to trash it, after that the rest of the boards should slide away easily after you've punched the nails through.

Suck it and see.

Craig

[jackruss]

I'm planning to re use the boards as tabletops or cupboard sides, maybe rip them to use as v-board at the back of bookshelves.

The nails are in to hardwood joists that are also 50 years old and very hard, I don't think I can drive them in, but will try that way.

Looking for the "easiest" and quickest way, have over 120 sqm, so am happy to lose a few.

:-)

JR

[journeyman Mick]

JR,
I usually take a circular saw and cut across the boards between every 2nd or 3rd joist and belt them out with a sledge hammer :eek: , but I'm guessing that you want to reuse the boards. Use a circular saw set to 2 -3mm deeper than the board thickness and rip the centre board with two passes, about 5mm from each edge. Use a your recipro saw to cut out a section of board between two joists, trying to get flush with the joists. Using chisels, pry bars etc demolish and remove the centre board. You should now be able to use a bar on each board where it sits on the joist and ease it up. If you use a Stanley "Wonderbar" you can cut through the nails. This is a cheap looking tool which resembles a piece of leaf spring that's been roughly shaped like a prybar. Don't be put off by its looks however as it's excellent for this type of application. If you tap it under the board and try to hook the nails into the vee on the end of the bar you will find that it's pretty easy to cut through the nails. Demolishers use a giant two curved tine fork arrangement to lever the boards off. The two tines sit under the board, the cross bar sits on the joist and the 2M long handle gives plenty of leverage. If you are relaying a floor on the joists and there are nails left sticking out don't waste time trying to pull them out or bash them in, just cut them off with a cutting disc in an angle grinder.

Mick

[jackruss]

woo hoo


Proud owner of 160 l/m of cypress flooring.

Tried the wonderbar technique, the cut the nails off trick, the drive the nails down, all had limited success.

Ended up cut the joists in nice 4 board lots and turning the sets over knocking the joist off ( and saving the timer free of nails) and then knocking the nails thru.

Thanks all for your suggestions.