On 2 Apr, 11:50, RobertL wrote:
I know this has bee ndiscussed before, but I wanted to hear what
people think of a new possoble way to do it.

I have a 100 year old house with 4" floorboards. *The shrinkage gaps
are several mm and I'd like to squeeze up the boards. *However, I'd
prefer not to lift them all because (a) I would have to rip out the
skirting boards which is not easy to do without damaging them and (b)
I'd need to prize up the boards which is also hard to do without
splitting them.

Ideally I'd like a way to pull out the nails without lifting the
boards.

Has anyone done this by: *drill out a circular 'plug' around each
nail, hammer the nail owen a bit (or pull it out) and then plug the
hole with a plug cut from an old board of the same set? * *I could
then slide the boards up without ever lifting them up off the joists
or out from under the skirting.

Or does someone know of a tool that will pull flooring brads without
wrecking the surrounding wood?

Robert

Dear Robert

I have done this many times both personally and professionally during
dry rot contracts.
I agree with the majority of posts - either lift the boards or fill
the gaps
Filling the gaps is not difficult and is best done with thin strips of
floorboard cut off (with a 1 degree or so wedge angle ) and hammered
in with glue and a batten
I dont like that approach as it looks tacky unless you like light
strips between darker boards


It is not difficult to lift boards if you have the right tools

take off the skirting with care. Use a stanley knife or similar to
make a break at the top with the wall paper etc
be brave and at one point in the middle put in a wide thin bolster
between it and the plaster with if possible a thin steel plate behind
the bolster to protect (as much as poss) the plaster and ease out the
skirting at the top
if you are near a fixing move away till it comes out a few mm
do this sequentially along the top until you can get in a thin small
crowbar (called a baseboard lifter) and then ease out the middle
work to the two sides/ends
get an assitant to pull out the middle till it bows and then take ouot
one of the ends then the other
denail and set aside
do the next skirting to the right or left to suit so you now have two
sides - if necessary to get access

now you need a Fein multimaster to cut the nearest to the wall board
if not in two pieces and lift it up using the aforementioned
baseboard lifter behind the back of the board where it was under the
skirting
Use a professional board lifter (this is a 1.2 m long handle about
1.5 " thick with two levers of aluminium shaped like a cam that rests
on the joist and can roll under the board and lift it without damage
ease up the board with the lifter sequentially unitl it prizes loose
label it !
Carry on to the last board
Lay sound deadening quilt
relay using cramps or folding sliding wedges

Chris