Hardwood flooring is expensive. Even if you were to replace them, discarding hardwood floors that have been well maintained is an absolute waste of money. You could reuse them in the future or sell them and recoup some of the money you spent on changing the flooring in your home. Furthermore, you don’t have to destroy them or damage them during the removal process. In this article, I’m going to teach you how to remove hardwood flooring for reuse.
For this tutorial, you will need the following materials and tools:
- Hammer
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Pry bar
- Plastic coverings or bags
- Floor scraper
- Dust mask
- Circular saw
As long as you work in an orderly fashion and exercise caution while prying open the floor boards, you will be able to preserve the integrity of the hardwood floor planks for reuse
Step-by-Step Instructions On Removing Hardwood Floors
Step 1: Prepare the floor
Begin the process by removing all furniture and appliances from the floor. Cover or wrap up items with protective cloths or plastic bags to prevent damage during the removal of hardwood flooring.
2. Remove the trimmings
Work your way along the perimeter to remove wall trimming, baseboards, or molding before removing the hardwood floors.
Use the hammer and pry bar to carefully remove them from the wall without causing any damage so that they can be reused later on.
Step 3: Remove the first board
Starting from one corner of the room, remove the first hardwood floor board or plank by inserting the pry bar into the edge against the wall at a 45-degree angle.
Use the hammer to gently knock the pry to loosen and lift the floor board.
Continue this step along the adjacent boards until you can remove the entire first row of planks.
Step 4: Remove the floorboards, row by row
Continue using the pry bar and hammer to gently and carefully lift and displace each of the floor boards until all subsequent rows have been removed.
Step 5: Cut around secured floor boards
In some homes, the hardwood floors are actually reinforced in place using glue or nails. What you can do is use a circular saw to make cuts around the boards to avoid damaging the surrounding planks.
But if you can, remove the surrounding boards, insert the pry bar along the edge of the reinforced board, use the hammer to knock and slowly lift the board.
Work your way around the board until you’ve lifted it enough to pull it out, despite the glue and nails.
When using a circular saw, wear safety glasses and a dust mask to protect your eyes and nose.
Step 6: Clean for reuse
Once all the floor boards have been removed, it’s now time to clean and prepare them for reuse.
Start by assessing the boards to determine their quality and if any have been damaged or splintered.
Remove the severely damaged boards and place them in a separate pile. Clean each board by removing residual adhesive or nails.
You can use a floor scraper underneath the boards to get rid of stubborn debris or adhesives.
Step 7: Store for reuse
As you know, all hardwood floors are water-resistant but not waterproof.
To avoid damage or rotting, it is advisable to store the hardwood flooring for reuse in a dry and covered area where rain and liquid don’t come into contact with the boards. Make use of the plastic bags to protect the floor boards.
Boards that have been severely damaged can be stored separately and cut into pieces that can be reused for alterations or adjustments when you reuse the wood flooring.
Final Thoughts
One of the main things to remember is that caution and patience are a must when removing any type of material from the floor.
The right tools and equipment can also make a difference in whether you can reuse hardwood floors after removing them.
By following the steps in this guide, I’m certain that you’ll be able to remove hardwood flooring for reuse because the boards or planks will remain in good condition and free of any major defects or damage.
With that being said, I hope you found this article on how to remove hardwood flooring for reuse to be practical and informative. Be sure to check out some of our other helpful flooring articles that are linked below.
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