removing particle board flooring

jasonsdad · Sun Mar 31, 2013 12:01 pm

any tips?

i read that this is literally back breaking!

has anyone put plywood over pb for solid wood for finish?

my stomach hurts

thanks again,
kristin

Greg · Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:11 pm

Sorry, but you would be asking for trouble. The particle board would fall apart and you would have nothing supporting the Plywood. The easiest way is to use a circular saw. Set the blade so that it just goes through the particle board and cut small sections at a time. if you want, When you get near a wall stop at the closest joist and make your patch from there. You can sister a 2x4 to it to support the edge of the new plywood. You can do the same thing along the outside walls of chisel out what you can and slip it under the wall.

In all honesty it sounds worse that it is. You just need to try a few different ways and use what works for you.

Greg

ponch37300 · Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:54 am

What I've found works pretty good is to take a circular saw and set the depth to 3/4". Using a cheaper blade(it will hit nails and screws) run it perpendicular to the joists and make cuts every 12-18" apart. Then make cuts in between the joists running parallel to them. Then you can just pound or kick the boards in and they will come off the joists. Then clean up the scraps and pull out the leftover nails/staples/screws. Not to bad of a job but not that fun either. A few beers and a radio really help out!

Steve-WA · Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:09 pm

Except for the joists with glue on top of them

jasonsdad · Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:31 am

the glue...my dh is using a plane to scrap..

jeff13624 · Mon May 06, 2013 3:06 pm

there are several good videos on youtube on this subject. I also have many repairs to make on my floor, the videos have been very helpful.

homebuff · Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:23 am

I wished some saw company would come up with a saw that would cut right along the very edge of the walls.
I really hate chiseling & digging out the old PB under the floor joist's.
My back isn't what it used to be lying down on the floor for so long.
Just tack on a 2x4 or 2x6 support board with long screws that holds the new plywood & be done with it.
That's the way I always do it.
Using that spray foam in the open crevices goes everywhere under the flooriing area & is no good to me.

Greg · Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:06 pm

They do,They are called door jam saws. But for $600. I can do a LOT of chisel work!!
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... xMPALLx028

Greg

JD · Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:13 pm

There are also jamb saw attachments that hook up to a drill. Personally, I use a Rigid One Hand reciprocal saw. This is a small sawzall, with a 1/2" saw travel, compared to a 1 1/4" travel of a big sawzall. The big saw can reach down and cut wire and pipe very easily. Not good! With a 4"-6" blade, holding the small saw at a 30 degree or so angle, you can cut through the 5/8" particle board with only having a 1/4' or so getting through the wood. Still not 100% safe because of bad wiring and plumbing practices on some older homes.

The saw is under $80 and I find it MUCH easier than a jamb saw to use. Then the next time you are making intricate cuts, or taking out old steel plumbing, you will be so glad you have this saw. I use it all the time for all kinds of repairs. Be careful though. There is no safety switch or blade guard. When picking the saw up, it is easy to activate it.

homebuff · Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:57 am

JD wrote:There are also jamb saw attachments that hook up to a drill. Personally, I use a Rigid One Hand reciprocal saw. This is a small sawzall, with a 1/2" saw travel, compared to a 1 1/4" travel of a big sawzall. The big saw can reach down and cut wire and pipe very easily. Not good! With a 4"-6" blade, holding the small saw at a 30 degree or so angle, you can cut through the 5/8" particle board with only having a 1/4' or so getting through the wood. Still not 100% safe because of bad wiring and plumbing practices on some older homes.

The saw is under $80 and I find it MUCH easier than a jamb saw to use. Then the next time you are making intricate cuts, or taking out old steel plumbing, you will be so glad you have this saw. I use it all the time for all kinds of repairs. Be careful though. There is no safety switch or blade guard. When picking the saw up, it is easy to activate it.

JD Send me the link for it please.

eflyersteve · Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:19 am

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4-Amp ... bXRrPkm5WY

This one is listed at $99 but is usually on sale.

Usually on sale. Lowes has a version also.

homebuff · Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:24 am

eflyersteve wrote:http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4-Amp ... bXRrPkm5WY

This one is listed at $99 but is usually on sale.

Usually on sale. Lowes has a version also.

Oh! I already have one of those.
Dang they are hard to use & bad on my back.
It is a sears anniversary series saw I get many years ago but a bit different.

ponch37300 · Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:09 am

There's all sorts of saws that can work for this, some fast/better then others. I like that saw JD linked to for the fact that it doesn't have as big of a stroke as your normal sawzall. I usually use a sawzall myself because it's what I have. Just have to be careful like mentioned. I also have one of these that might work decent but never tried it, http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1640VS-Fine ... sh+cut+saw. Mostly use that saw for flooring and other stuff but doesn't get used to much anymore since I bought a dremel multimax, http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-MM20-03-12 ... +multi-max. That would probably work good also but be pretty slow.

They make one of these that would probably work great, http://www.tools4flooring.com/crain-775 ... k-saw.html but pretty expensive and limited use.

So they do make all sorts of saws for this purpose, just depends on how much you want to spend to do the job!

homebuff · Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:24 am

Now I can afford this one!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dremel-Multi-Ma ... 53f5770905

ponch37300 · Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:02 am

homebuff wrote: Now I can afford this one!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dremel-Multi-Ma ... 53f5770905

If you are going to get that one I would go with something like this, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dremel-6300-DR- ... 0504581%26. For the same price it's factory reconditioned, the one you linked to looked pretty used. I bought a factory reconditioned dremel multimax from CPO outlets and it's been fine for me. The dremel will get the job done but it will be slow and the blades cost a pretty penny. Just some things to think about. I love mine and use it for all sorts of things, it's been laying out in the kitchen and used every day for the last week or so.