How to Chisel Out a Hardwood Floor Plank
- 1). Lay masking tape all around the border of the tile to be removed, marking it off from the surrounding floorboards so you have a clear perimeter to avoid cutting into.
- 2). Adjust the depth of your circular saw blade to match the thickness of the floorboard. If the board is damaged enough to see the depth of it through a crack, you can find the correct measurement that way. Otherwise, set the blade depth at ¾ inches (the most common thickness of hardwood flooring), then adjust it after you start cutting if it appears to be the wrong depth.
- 3). Run the saw along the middle of the length of the board, from the end closest to you to the end furthest. Leave at least ½ inch of space between the ends of the cut and the ends of the board so you're not risking cutting the adjacent boards.
- 4). Shift the saw 1/4 inch and repeat the process of running the saw up the middle of the board, so you're cutting lines side by side. Create several lines, letting them cross one another repeatedly, until pieces of the flooring start coming out in chunks. Stop and pull out the chunks as necessary.
- 5). Continue cutting with the circular saw until you've taken out as much of the middle of the board as you can safely take without cutting into the edges.
- 6). Tap the sides of the boards inward toward the carved-out center, using your hammer and chisel to knock the edges off their tongue and groove fittings with the neighboring boards. Remove the remaining board pieces.
- 7). Use a prybar to remove any sections held in by nails or staples. The space is now ready for a replacement board.
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