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Flooring - Hardwood

Removing Staples From Hardwood Floors

Question: I took the carpet out of my home a few years ago and I have hardwood floors underneath. They had stapled the pad down. I pulled up a lot of staples that I could get a hold of with the needle nosed pliers, but there are still a lot of staples still in the floor. Is there a secret to removing them with out gouging the floor too badly?

Answer: You can remove the staples by using a very thin straight screw driver or 7" mini pry-bar and "carefully" push the edge of the tip under one end of the staple, twist and the staple should lift. Try using lineman's pliers they have a wide set of jaws and by placing the head of the jaws straight up on the floor, one jaw on each side of the staple. Needle nose pliers don't provide the necessary grip.

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