Tearing Up Hardwood Floors

Okay so the fastest way to remove old hardwood floors is to cut the boards into smaller sections.

Tearing up hardwood floors.

Pry up the first few boards to give yourself room to work. You can cut each section into approximately one to two feet wide portions. Take down the tarps roll them up carefully and move them outside to be cleaned or thrown away. If necessary go over the area again with a vacuum or mop to clear away any especially fine dust remaining.

Cut the hardwood flooring perpendicular to the direction the flooring is lying. Sweep the sawdust wood chips and other debris into small piles then use a shop vac to suction them up. So cutting them into smaller pieces of wood makes it easier to pry up. This is helpful because hardwood planks are all different lengths and make it really tough to remove quickly.

Removing hardwood floors in one of the houses we renovated. Alternatively use a circular saw with a carbide tooth blade to make a plunge cut along the length of the sacrificial board and use a pry. Make sure to set your saw blade to the thickness of your hardwood flooring so as to not damage the sub flooring.