floorboards

[amandag38]

hi
can anyone tell me the best way to lift some original wide plank floorboards, (oak) they have been nailed to ceiling joist with very large nails. Some are rotten but we want to salvage some to re use once we have levelled the floors so want to keep damage minimal.
Also where can we buy some oak tongue and groove or boards to make some ledge and brace internal doors, I am on the essex/suffolk boarder.

 

[ljn]

These could be useful:

http://www.gil-lec.co.uk/products/T...cellaneous+Tools/Floorboard+Lifter/3701752670

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/26240...ng-Bars/Wrecking-Bars/Roughneck-Utility-Bar-7

 

[DaveBrigg]

DO - take your time, and have a couple of people to help, so that if you can raise one end, someone else can be loosening the nails further along. Start with the rotten ones, so that you can then reach the sides of the good ones.

DON'T - leave it to the electrician or central heating installer :evil:

 

[MdB]

Also where can we buy some oak tongue and groove or boards to make some ledge and brace internal doors, I am on the essex/suffolk boarder.

Try Jewsons. Our local branch is selling oak T&G for £25 /m^2 inc vat (trade price) though they have to order it in. Comes in 3m lengths x 150mm x 20mm(??) if I remember correctly. The price is cheap so it probably comes from half way around the world from a non renewable source.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Lifting boards, especially old wide boards, without causing damage is extremely difficult. A lot depends on the state of the boards, nails and joists. As suggested, start with the board you are prepared to sacrifice. You may be able to lever the board up with a bolster chisel - the wider the better. Once you have an end up you can slide a batten or length of pipe under and work it along.

An ideal way to proceed is to use a big hammer and punch to drive the nails right through the planks into the joists, so releasing the planks completely - this can require a lot of force though, and the percussion may damage other surface finishes such a ceiling below.

As for new material I'd start with the good old yellow pages. You may have to travel a bit to find a good timber merchant, but it will be worth it. All pre-machined t&g will have been machine planed and could look rather flat and lacking in charachter for doors, even if it's nice wood. Oak boards which are sold for flooring are only designed to be seen from one side, and the 'back' will probably have stress-relief grooves cut in, and so be unsuitable for making doors. You'll probably have to get a merchant to prepare some 1" boards to order.
The doors shown below were made using 'character' grade stock, and assembled with rosehead nails clenched over. Expect to pay about £25 - £30/cu.ft for European oak.

More pictures and details on my website.

 

[fjpdesigns]

If you havn't already looked here -
http://www.salvo.co.uk

you should find plenty of places selling suitable reclaimed boards.

 

[Lime]

The problem with most modern floorboard lifters is that they are designed for speed and don't look after the floor.
An old type that I have screws into the floorboard to be lifted and a set of powerful levers lifts the board up and out.

 

[Penners]

How are the boards held down? If they have cut or lost head nails, then the advice above covers pretty well every eventuality. But if they're held with rosehead nails whose heads are proud of the surface, it's a good idea to grind off the heads first. This allows the board to lift off the nail much more easily. However, this technique depends very much on how confident you are of avoiding damage to the board.

A good place for T&G oak boards is Thorogoods in Ardleigh, just south of Dedham (click here). They will machine up whatever you want, but before paying special machining prices it's worth going and having a root around in their stock racks. You'll quite often find some really good T&G oak boards left over from a special job, that they sell as 'odds and ends'. These are less expensive.

 

[inwood]

If you know where the nails heads are you can cut around them using a plug cutter and a drill. You can then lift the boards easily without stressing them. You can then either lift the nails out of the joists or cut them off. Relay your boards in place. Nail the boards back down (or screw and cover with plugs - useful if you need to lift later to access services) and then fit plugs into the holes you originally drilled. Assuming you use the correct sized plugs and cutters (and cut replacement plugs from the good areas of your 'scrapped' boards) you shouldn't be able to see the repairs - especially if you're intending to leave the 'patina' on the boards and simply wax them.

Good plug cutters available from Axminster:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=780723&name=plug+cutter&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=44

 

[Penners]

I like that idea.

I would only add that you'd need to be extremely careful to ensure that your plug-cutter doesn't snag a nail, otherwise the job could get expensive in plug cutters!

 

[skier-hughes]

I like that idea.

I would only add that you'd need to be extremely careful to ensure that your plug-cutter doesn't snag a nail, otherwise the job could get expensive in plug cutters!

And broken wrists :shock:

 

[Penners]

Graham - you're spending too much on your electric drills. If you buy cheapos, the gears will strip before your wrists break!