Salvaging your hardwood flooring can prove to be cost effective.

You might ask why would you ever want to remove hardwood flooring, as prized as it is by most homeowners. There are numerous reasons, including salvaging old hardwood flooring from a property that's about to be demolished or totally remodeled.

One of the best methods we've found for removing old hardwood flooring is in a well-illustrated article from Popular Mechanics , by Alex Hutchinson. Alex says, "Old-growth wood – typically, Douglas fir, oak, and maple — has higher density and fewer defects than new wood, and often comes in lengths of 12 ft. or more, which you won't find at a big-box store. Salvaging it from an old home takes time but saves money; boards wider than the standard 2 1/4-in. strips are particularly valuable." The 1-2-3 step process he describes goes as follows:

• Step 1: Pry up the first few boards to give yourself room to work. Alternatively, use a circular saw with a carbide-tooth blade to make a plunge cut along the length of the sacrificial board, and use a pry bar to tear it out.

• Step 2: Working from the tongue side, use a pry bar to gently lift the adjacent board up and out in the direction of the nail in order to avoid breaking off the groove. Work your way down the length of the board with the pry bar, rather than trying to remove it in one go.

• Step 3: Pull any remaining nails from the salvaged wood using large locking pliers. Then carefully patrol the subfloor an...

Read the full article in the CalFinder Remodeling and Home Solar Power Magazine