How do you pull up floorboards without damage?

Answer 1

If your floorboards are tongued and grooved (t&g), that is one edge of the board is grooved to receive an adjacent board's tongued edge and so hold both boards tight together against the joist below, it is virtually impossible not to damage the boards to some degree. Butted boards are a bit easier, but you may still suffer minor damage. You firstly have to remove the tongues by placing a saw blade between the boards. An electric saw is easiest (see the JML web-site for a useful tool with a plunge saw blade which is narrow kerfed and useful for such operations), but take care to set the blade depth to the same thickness as that of the board (or slightly less really) to ensure you do not accidentally cut into a hidden pipe or electric conduit / cable. You can then prise the adjacent boards apart with a nail bar or chisel. Obviously, unscrew any screw fixings first, or if nail fixed, remove the nails with a claw hammer once lifted to prevent accidental injury by standing onto removed boards. Repeat the process by cutting across the grain (face) of the board if you want to create an access in the middle of your floor, or between lengths of boards. Be sure to first find the fixings (nails or screws - usually at 16" / 410mm centres) and cut along the centre of these fixings (which locate the joist), to ensure you have adequate bearing to re-fix the board removed when you have completed the intended work. The priority is safety, if you are unsure as to the location of any hidden services, then it's safer to employ a competent tradesman who will use cable / pipe detection equipment to locate these hidden dangers before commencing. Other hazards to be mindful of are asbestos insulation / lagging found in buildings built before the mid to late 1990's. Again, if in any doubt, employ professional asbestos surveyors to ascertain any risks before commencing. If the board(s) you are removing are accessible from below perhaps due to a renovation where the ceilings have been removed, it may be possible to prise the boards up using a bolster chisel between the joists and the underside of the floorboards, again , be very mindful of the services / asbestos issues when attempting any works in floor voids like this.