How to Tear Up Particle Board Underlayment
Removing particle board is properly described as tearing it up. Particle board that has come into contact with moisture will have little structural strength and often crumbles into small pieces. However, most particle board has been glued and stapled onto the floor joists; the staples and layer of glued board will take much effort to remove, even after its having been wet. Tearing up particle board requires hammering, pulling, prying, scraping and the use of pliers. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Pliers
- Chisel
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Instructions
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Find an edge where two boards are adjacent to one another. Use the hammer to drive the pry bar in between the two boards. Push down on the pry bar to lift one of the boards. Knock a hole all the way through the board, if necessary, to put the end of the pry bar underneath one board and on top of the next for leverage. Make holes in several places to pry the particle board lose from the floor joist, if necessary.
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Use the chisel to remove any pieces of particle board that remain stuck on the floor joist and around the staples. Use the pliers or the hammer to remove the remaining staples after you have extracted the particle board pieces.
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Clean the top of the joist with the chisel to remove any glue or small pieces of particle board left on the joist.
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Tips & Warnings
To avoid injury, be careful when standing on damaged particle board because it has a tendency to give way.
Always wear proper safety equipment when using hand tools.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
