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Removing
Hardwood
Flooring without Breaking a Sweat
Inside
this
Article:
- Introduction on How
to Install Hardwood Flooring
- How
to Install Floating
Hardwood Floor
- How
to Install Hardwood Floor Using the Nail
down
Technique
- Installing
Hardwood Flooring with the Glue down
Method
- Laying
Hardwood Floors Using the Staple down
Technique
- Removing
Hardwood Flooring without Breaking a
Sweat
- How
to Finish
Hardwood Floor Effortlessly
Hardwood
floors come with a life
expectancy of around 40 years, but let’s face it, every now
and then, you will
feel the need to change them, either due to damage, design reasons or
simply
because a new and improved type of floor is on the market and you want
to try
it out. Removing hardwood flooring depends on several factors:
- how well the floor was installed
- what kind of hardwood floor you’re trying
to demo (if it’s glued to the ground, it’s
obviously harder to take down than if it’s a floating floor).
- the type of floor you want to install after you take
down the current one (if you’re installing a floating floor
afterwards, it’s ok if the ground is still slightly bumpy,
but if you’re installing glued floor, then the ground must be
absolutely clean and perfectly level).
Removing
Hardwood Flooring – Tools and Accessories
- Claw
hammer – this is a great way to pick
up floor panels that are near a wall and can’t be grabbed or
taken off otherwise. In case of need, a claw hammer can also be quite
messy :)
- Sledge
hammer – if you’re indo
hardwood flooring demolition, a sledge hammer is your most trusted
tool. Just make sure you only break the hardwood and not
what’s underneath
- Flooring
scraper – this is a must-have if
you’re
dealing with glued floor.
- Common
crowbar/pry bar – After whacking
away with your sledge hammer, you can use the pry bar to pick up floor
tiles easily.
- A
circular saw (with extra blades) – you can cut
the floor
using a saw, then use the pry bar, but make sure you have some extra
blades handy, the initial ones will dull out after a while.
- Chisel
Removing
Hardwood Flooring – Preparation
 Unlike
when you’re installing the
hardwood, removing it doesn’t require as much preparation.
Basically, all you
need is to know what type of flooring method was used, so you can use
the tools
accordingly.
If you’re using a circular saw, you could cut
the floor up a bit
to make it easier to remove.
You will need to find the distance from
the top of
the floor to the ground, so that the blades don’t go through
the wood and reach
the concrete and break.
Removing
Hardwood Flooring –
Step by Step Instructions
- Saw
up the floor, cutting it in 1-2 feet areas with a circular.
- Whack
the floor with the sledge hammer systematically.
- Use
the crowbar to get under the shattered panels and pick them up.
- Scrape
the glue (if any) off the ground with the scraper.
- Clean
up and start installing the new floor.
Removing
Hardwood Flooring –
Clean Up
Since
you’ll have the hardest
time removing hardwood floors that were glued down, it’s only
fair to refer to
them when talking about cleaning up. The truth is, it’s a
messy procedure and
you won’t get off easy even when you’re done with
the demolition.
Saw dust from
the circular, pieces of wood that came as a result of the
sledgehammer’s
pounding, or chunks of glue stripped from the ground by the
scraper…all these
can amount to quite a messy scenario that you’ll have a hard
time cleaning up.
Arm yourself with patience.
How
to Install Floating Hardwood Floor –
Special Tips
- Start by removing the panels from the tongue part,
it’s easier this way
- Try to be an organized demolition man. Remove the
panels one by one instead of removing chunks of the floor. This creates
less mess and it’s less likely that the ground beneath will
suffer from the removal process.
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