refinishing hardwood floors that have particle board over them

[skullface]

I bought a house that has hardwood floors throughout but the previous owner used ring nails and put particle board over the top of it as a subfloor and laid carpet. What is the best way to take up the particle board with as little damage to the hardwood floor as possible? I am doing all the work myself (family members know how to do it but won't help) and I really don't know what I'm doing.

[What have I done]

the ring shanks are gonna be a bear. get some pry bars and tear up the plywood. you could set a skilsaw and cut some sections for easier removal instead of trying to get the whole 4x8 sheet up at once. Just make sure the skilsaw blade is set a bit shallower than the thickness of the plywood- you dont want to accidently cut into the hardwood.

By splitting the plywood out this will still leave the ringshank nails, but at least the head will be up a bit (the thickness of the plywood)

now use your prybar and a scrap of wood to pull the nails.

Once that is all done it is time to sand the floors.. You have a lot of work to do. hopefully it isnt to big of an area. And SHAME on your family members not to offer a hand

[skullface]

Hey, I like your idea. I'll have to try it. I know, unfortunately you can't choose your family right.

[pinwheel45]

Although it's going to be more time consuming, I would recomend trying to locate & remove the nails with the particle board in place rather than sawing it into smaller sections. #1, you run the risk of sawing too deep & damaging the flooring underneath the particle board. #2, directly on the hardwood could damage the floor. I would buy a pry bar that digs into the particle board & gets under the nail head. We called them a cats claw, or sheeps foot. I don't know the real name, but they do work well. Good luck with the project.