• Home
  • DIY
    • Self build
    • Projects and advice
      • Bathroom
      • Building, brickwork and masonry
      • Ceilings
      • Cleaning
      • Concrete work
      • Damp, rot and infestation
      • Drains
      • Electrical
      • Fireplaces
      • Floors
      • Garden
      • Heating
      • Insulation
      • Kitchen
      • Lighting
      • Lofts
      • Painting and decorating
      • Plasterwork
      • Plumbing
      • Roof and guttering
      • Safety
      • Security
      • Tiling
      • Walls
      • Windows
      • Woodwork
    • Glossary
    • Know your tools
    • Know your materials
  • Cost guides
  • News
  • Community
Facebook Twitter Instagram
lets-do-diy.com
  • Home
  • DIY
    • Self build
    • Projects and advice
      • Bathroom
      • Building, brickwork and masonry
      • Ceilings
      • Cleaning
      • Concrete work
      • Damp, rot and infestation
      • Drains
      • Electrical
      • Fireplaces
      • Floors
      • Garden
      • Heating
      • Insulation
      • Kitchen
      • Lighting
      • Lofts
      • Painting and decorating
      • Plasterwork
      • Plumbing
      • Roof and guttering
      • Safety
      • Security
      • Tiling
      • Walls
      • Windows
      • Woodwork
    • Glossary
    • Know your tools
    • Know your materials
  • Cost guides
  • News
  • Community
lets-do-diy.com
You are at:Home»Projects and advice»Remove a floorboard

Remove a floorboard

Summary: Learn how to draught-proofing the floor, secure loose or creaking floorboards, raise a floorboard, remove square-edged boards, remove tongue-and-groove boards and replace a damaged tongue-and-groove board.


There are a number of problems people have with wooden floors that can be quickly remedied. But when working on floorboards you must be aware at all times that pipes and electric cables could run under the floor.


Cut strips of floorboard to fit the gaps and apply wood adhesive to both sides.

Draught-proofing the floor

If your floorboards do not fit tight against each other or have warped over the years, cold draughts can come up through the gaps. To remedy this:

  • Cut strips of floorboard to fit the gaps and apply wood adhesive to both sides.
  • Gently hammer the strips in place.
  • When the adhesive has set, plane off any excess wood sitting proud of the floor using a block plane. Small cracks between boards can be filled with wood filler or flooring sealant.

Securing loose or creaking floorboards

  • o resolve the problem of creaking floorboards, trace the line of the nails across the floor to locate the point where the nail is no longer gripping the floor joist.
  • If the nail is still there remove it and secure the loose floorboard with a countersunk screw that is slightly bigger than the existing nail hole.
  • If there is still movement in the floorboard it maybe necessary to repeat the process on the other side of the board.

Raising the floorboards

Many of your electrical and plumbing projects will involve having to take up floorboards to access cables and pipes or you may wish to replace a broken floorboard. There are two methods depending on your floor type: square-edge boards or tongue-and-groove boards.

To test to see which you have, try slotting a thin blade between the boards. If the blade slips unhindered between the boards, you have square-edged boards, as the interlocking structure of tongue-and-groove boards will prevent you inserting the blade between them. For removing chipboard floors, follow the same process as for tongue-and-groove boards


Using a crowbar, lever up one end of the board.
Cut across the board with a jigsaw to create a leverage point.
Raise the board, using strips of wood to jack it up.
Where there is no joist available to fix to, nail a piece of batten to the side of the joist to extend it and fix the new board to this.

Removing square-edged boards

To remove square-edged boards:

  • Trace the line of the nails across the floor to locate the joists and mark their position with a pencil.
  • Insert a crowbar between the edges of the boards at the point where it is nailed to the joist and try to lever up one end of the board.
  • If the boards are so tight together that the edge of the crowbar cannot be inserted sufficiently, drill a hole 10mm (1/2in) in diameter at one end of the damaged floorboard but avoiding the joist.
  • The blade of a jigsaw will fit into the hole allowing you to cut across the board thus giving you a leverage point.
  • Having lifted the end of the board, work your way along its length pushing the handle of a hammer under the board as you go. This creates a shock wave that runs along the length of the board that loosens the nails.

To remove a damaged section rather than the whole board:

  • Mark a line over a joist so the damaged section is situated between the one end of the board and the marked line.
  • Use the same method described above to raise the end of the board.
  • Raise the board until you are beyond the damaged area, sliding a strip of wood under the board to jack it up, until the section of board with the mark indicating the joist has been lifted sufficiently for it to be cut with a jigsaw.
  • Remove the damaged section and replace it with a piece of floorboard of the same dimensions, nailing it securely to the joists.
  • If you have removed a square-edged board by cutting the board before the joist, you will not be able to fix the board to the joist. To overcome this, nail a piece of batten to the side of the joist to extend it and fix the new board to this instead.













Shaving off the tongue allows you to insert the new board.

Removing tongue-and-groove boards

For tongue-and-groove boards, you will need to saw through the tongues.

  • Set a circular saw to the depth of the board, usually no more than 20mm (4/5in). Setting the blade at too great a depth will damage the joists.
  • Slide the blade between the boards and saw down the length of the board to cut away the tongue.
  • With the tongue removed the joists will be visible, allowing you to lever up the board with a crowbar.

Replacing a damaged tongue-and-groove board

As tongue-and-groove boards interlock you cannot simply fit in a new board. But this problem is easily overcome.

  • Ensure your board is the correct length and using a wood chisel or plane shave off the tongue.
  • This will allow you to insert the tongue of one of the existing boards into the groove of the new board, while the edge of the new board with the tongue removed will butt against the grooved edge of the existing board on the other side.
  • Secure the board to the joists with flooring nails.

Related projects

  • How to lay laminate flooring
  • Laying a concrete floor
  • Laying a plywood subfloor
  • Laying ceramic floor tiles
  • Laying floorboards onto joists
  • Laying terracotta or quarry tiles in a diagonal pattern
  • Laying vinyl floor tiles
  • Laying wood flooring
  • Measurements and advice when laying floors
  • Planning the arrangement of floor tiles
  • Sanding floors
  • Using a drum sander
Recent Comments
  • Vic on Is Christmas a good time for DIY?
  • Anonymous on Average air source heat pump cost (2022)
  • Reggie on Prepare your home for moth season
Latest News
0

Potential DIY home improvement trends for 2023

1

Is Christmas a good time for DIY?

0

Design trends for 2022 and 2023

0

Product Review: Handsaws

Popular Guides

Average fireplace cost

What BBQ should I buy?

Average cost of bricks

Average cost of paint

Popular Projects

Solar water heating system

How to fit a cat flap

How to use an angle grinder

Repairing a kerb

DIY Categories
Bathroom
Building, brickwork and masonry
Ceilings
Cleaning
Concrete work
Damp, rot and infestation
Drains
Electrical
Fireplaces
Floors
Garden
Heating
Insulation
Kitchen
Lighting
Lofts
Painting and decorating
Plasterwork
Plumbing
Roof and guttering
Safety
Security
Tiling
Walls
Windows
Woodwork

Self Build Guide
How to find a building plot
Evaluating a building plot (2023)
How to get a self build mortgage
Self build construction options
Self build architect and design considerations (2023)
Self build planning permission and legal consents
© 2023 lets do diy ltd | ebuild
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT