A relative of mine is getting his house torn down and re-built. His house currently has over 1000 sq ft of standard oak strip flooring in it. He has allowed me to take most of it to use in an addition I’m planning. How do I remove this flooring with minimum damage and store for a year or two before I use it? I obviously don’t want to tear it up with crow bars, and if I store it in the loft of my unconditioned garage, will the temp/humidity swings over a year cause it to warp so much as to make it unuseable? Any expert opinions or advice would be appreciated.
Mike
Replies
You pry it up with a crow bar. The nails will pull out of the tongue (good) or out of the floor (bad). Remove the nails from the tongues.
Pile the wood up in the order it was removed and band it up.
When you put it down, put it down in the reverse order it was picked up in to minimize the amount of sanding.
When removing the flooring pry only from the tongue side. Use a wonder bar and lift from the tongue/ tongue corner pulling the piece away from the rest of the layed flooring. You'll get the hang of it after awhile, being sure not to crack of the tongue or more importantly the bottom section on the groove side. Don't angle them up too fast or you'll break the tongue / groove off the ends. Pull the nails through the bottom of the boards with an edge-nipper to prevent blowout on the top. If the floor has seperated over time and there is a build up of grit and finish scrape the crap off the tongue side with a paint scraper after de nailing. To store the stuff, bundle together. You can use duct tape just put the good sides in all the way around. Store in a dry place and aclimate the wood to the house for two weeks prior to installation for the best long term outcome. When installing leave a 1/2" expansion gap all the way around the newly layed floor and lay over red rosin paper (cleanest method) or tar paper. Make it easy on yourself and rent a pneumatic nailer.
here's an easier way.....start skipping that second morning coffee.....
now put that saved change into the piggy bank...and in a year or two you might have enough to buy the needed materials.
Unless you have lotsa patience and extra time on your hands.....plan on being able to use about half of what's there now...oosing time and money on the front end.
then you'll probably end up fighting with the stuff as you install it....losing more time and money on the back end.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
My brother and I have both been very fortunate w/our rescued floors. Mine was from a house that was built in the 30s or 40s. Got a 2story house of red oak for 300usd, 'course it was hard work but the waste was less than 20% and I had enough left over to sell to my brother. He purchased t&g from a house up his way also built in the 40s. He ended up using a SkilSaw to cut next to the baseboard molding and was able to use some kind of tool that's made to remove t&g floor. His waste has been less than 10%, so far.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and quite delicious accompanied by a balsamic and raspberry reduction, garlic mashed potatoes, smoked applewood gouda, a cold glass of Lynfred pear wine and something decadent for dessert.
Doesnt seem worth it to me for just regular oak planks. Maybe if they were really old and wide planks I'd consider it but.......Use a flat bar to get them up.
You probably wont be able to get the nails out if they are the typical serated type nails so what I have done on some planks that I installed and had to rip out and reuse was to take some plyers and bend em' ( the nails) back and forth till they brake. Doesnt take much as they are pretty brittle.
Be patient
Namaste
andy
"Understanding yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth"
Alan Watts
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Not worth it? It depends on what is worth more to you, time or money. A typical oak floor costs ~ $7.00 per sg. ft. installed. (In my neck of the woods.) Average install is $2.50 per sq. ft. and new oak is ~ $3.60 per sg. ft. That's a savings of $5.00 per sq. ft. It seems to me to be worth it assuming you take your time and don't destroy the wood. You should be able to get the floor refinished for ~ $2.00 per sg. ft. (what a deal.)
One thing I forgot to mention that might not make the deal worth it, pull up a few pieces and check to make sure you've got 3/16" to 1/4" from the tongue to the top edge so it can be sanded a few more times. That's really the major variable in reusing wood floors.
Dave,
You might want to check your numbers. If I understand you correctly, you can finish a floor for $.90 sq. ft.? You say that new floors cost $7, with installation being $2.50 and material costing $3.60. That's $6.10, which only leaves $.90 in your seven dollar figure for finishing. But later, you say $2/ft.? Also, last time I bought oak flooring it was $2.50 a square foot, not $3.60. Am I misunderstanding you?
HVAC,
I agree with Jeff and Andy, you might want to rethink the amount of work that you're willing to put into this.
If your time is only worth $15/hr., then you woud have to remove, band, store (which includes providing storage space, move again, and have to deal with the problems inherent in your operation, at least 7.5 square feet in an hour. This is assuming 20% waste. Your waste could very likely be much greater, depending on conditions. In the end, you might break even, but with a lot more hard work on your part, and you will most likely have a floor that is not as good as a new one.
Jon Blakemore