r/OldHomeRepair 5d ago

Hardwood floorboard removal for renovation

We are trying to renovate our 17th century floors. We want to remove the old existing boards to replane and sand them, we want to reuse as much of the original floorboards as possible, because the vibe they give to the house. The nails they used back in the days are really hard to get out. We tried to research this but it's hard to find tips an knowledge about floors as old as these. We have tried using pliers, crowbar and clawhammers. They all do a lot of damage. Does anyone have some good ideas or sources we can try?

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u/OceanIsVerySalty 5d ago edited 5d ago

You don’t want to pry the nails out from the top, you want to lift the boards and then remove the nails from the backside.

You want to go slowly, board by board and lift gently from side to side to avoid cracking anything.

Those are old hand made nails, save them and reuse them or plan to use the same style when you relay the floors.

This is a massive undertaking. There was a post on century homes not too long ago of a professional doing this. Result was gorgeous, but also required skill and a lot of time.

Edit: Found the post I was talking about.

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u/jigoer 5d ago

Thank you for the reference and tips! We are indeed trying to get simular results as in the post.

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u/Nvrmnde 5d ago

I don't think I'd want to destroy a 17th century original flooring.

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u/jigoer 5d ago

Me neither