Whether you think hardwood floors are enjoying a tremendous reemergence in popularity or you don't believe they ever went out of style, they're certainly a major selling feature in many homes. However, whether because they were buried in carpeting or not maintained over the years, some sections of hardwood flooring in older homes is no longer salvageable and probably needs to be removed. This process may also be necessary if you're attempting to match hardwood flooring across a home. In this piece, we're going to look at how to remove sections of hardwood flooring in an older home. 

Preparation for Hardwood Floor Demolition

Before anything is removed, the area needs to be prepared. To reduce the damage and mess from hardwood floor debris, make sure to cover nearby surfaces in plastic or drop-cloth style material. This protective material can be easily held in place with masking tape or another form of tape that won't leave an adhesive residue. 

Making First Cuts

The first tool used to remove hardwood flooring is going to be a circular saw. The depth of the penetration of the saw blade needs only to be the thickness of the top layer of the floor. Because plywood layers underneath may be able to be salvaged, it is best if it is not damaged in the removal process. Though it may ultimately need to be removed and replaced, it is hard to know that until the top layer of hardwood flooring is removed. 

Marking Board Lengths

For the sake of a uniform look, hardwood flooring should be removed the way it was installed—one board at a time. For this reason, the boards that are not intended for removable must be marked with highly visible masking tape. Board edges may be difficult to see when they are covered in sawdust debris from a saw, making it essential to mark anything not intended for cutting. 

Making Cuts Inside the Board

As the circular saw is run down the length the board, make the cuts just a few inches within the edges of the board. These cuts will allow the board's connection points to be easily dismantled. Using a crowbar, the remaining nailed sides can be pried from their position and lifted away. Because the board has been sliced into thinner strips, it is much easier to remove—either through cuts or prying. The more precise the cuts are, and the smaller the discarded sections, the more undamaged boards you may be able to keep in place. 

And that's about it! Removing hardwood flooring is not incredibly complicated, but may require precision cutting and prying to preserve sections not intended for demolition. If you would prefer to leave hardwood floor demolition or other types of home demolition and remodeling to the experts, look no further than the professionals at Expert Dumpster.

Source: http://dtwreckit.com/blog/posts/view/251/how-to-remove-sections-of-hardwood-flooring