Lifting a floorboard without wrecking it

Learn to identify, cut and lever up a floorboard cleanly so it lifts intact and refits later.

FB-01Work out what type of board you've gotFloorboards are either plain (square edges, just butted together) or tongue-and-groove, where each board has an interlocking lip along its long edges. Run your fingers along the gap between boards - if you feel a hidden lip rather than a clean gap, it's tongue-and-groove and you'll need to cut it before lifting. The beginner mistake is trying to prise a tongue-and-groove board straight up without cutting the joint first, which splits the edge.

FB-02Find the joists and the fixing pointsJoists are the timber beams under the floor that the boards are nailed or screwed to, usually every 300-450mm. Look along the board for a straight line of nail or screw heads running across it - that's a joist. Knock on the board with your knuckles; a duller, more solid sound usually means you're over a joist, a hollower sound means you're between them. Knowing this stops you cutting a board at a point with no support underneath.

FB-03Check for cables and pipes before you cut anythingBefore sawing into the tongue or driving a chisel down between boards, run a cable and pipe detector over the area. Treat it as 'assume something is there until you prove otherwise', not 'the detector said clear, so it's safe' - detectors can miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, or run outside the usual routes, and older or amateur wiring often ignores the normal safe zones anyway. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling or sawing, and turn the water off at the stopcock before cutting anywhere pipework could run.

FB-04Cut the tongue with a floorboard sawA floorboard saw has a short, stiff blade shaped to cut down into a narrow gap without damaging the boards either side - a normal wood saw is too long and will gouge the neighbouring board. Saw carefully along the joint on both long edges of the board, keeping the blade shallow so you're only cutting the tongue, not into the joist below. Go slowly near where you know a joist sits, since that's where cables are most likely to be clipped.

FB-05Lever the board up gently from the free endA bolster chisel is a wide, flat chisel struck with a hammer, used for prising rather than cutting. Start at the end of the board furthest from any nails you can see, tap the chisel into the gap, and lever up a small amount. Move along the board in short stages, lifting a little at each joist rather than forcing one end up hard - forcing it is the classic mistake and it splits the board or snaps it clean off at the nearest joist.

FB-06Free the nails properly as you goOnce the board is loose enough to lift a little, don't just wrench it off the nails - that bends the nails and tears chunks of wood out around the holes. Instead, lift it just enough to get pincers or a claw hammer underneath and pull each nail through from below, or undo any screws with a screwdriver. This keeps the nail holes clean, which matters if you want the board to sit flat when you put it back.

FB-07Check you've done it right before reaching underneathA well-lifted board comes away in one piece, with no splits along its length and clean, undamaged edges where you cut the tongue. The nail holes should still be intact, not torn out, so the board can be refitted later. Before you put your hand into the gap, look first - don't feel around blindly, even after checking with a detector, in case there's a cable or pipe you didn't spot.

Save this as a project

Back to all guides