We pulled up a rug in our living room that has good solid wood underneath. Unfortunately, the previous owner stapled the foam carpet pad into the wood, and they are nearly impossible to remove without damaging the wood. Any suggestions?
2007-04-24 12:55:49 · 7 answers · asked by Liam H 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
The plywood boards at the edges of the room were easier to remove, because that wood was old and easy to pull up. The problem we have with the staples is that they are old, too, and therefore break if I work them too hard. I've been using the screwdriver/plier method, and it seems to work okay, but occasionally it scars the wood.
2007-04-24 13:12:39 · update #1
All great answers people...Thanks so much.
2007-04-26 16:02:05 · update #2
I use a knife and pry it under the staple, and twist it a little to raise one side, then a pair of needle nose pliars to pull it out.
2007-04-24 13:01:11 · answer #1 · answered by Fordman 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Carefully, with the flat edge of a screwdriver, lift the staple straight up, and see if it will come up in one move. If it doesn't, carefully lift the edge which will come up, and pull the rest of the staples up with those long thin pliers. They are near the edges of the room, aren't they? Do they have thin boards attached to some ends? We took about two days to do this with a rowhouse in Baltimore, and once we got the hang of the long flat headed screwdriver, and the delicate pliers, we were set to go. We also did have to remove these plywood type rulers set near the corners of the room. Once we polished, the staple marks weren't noticeable at all.
2007-04-24 13:05:21 · answer #2 · answered by Marissa Di 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had the same problem. The previous owner had stapled the foam pad to the floor. We used a pair of needle nose pliers and sat on the floor and pull each one out. It if is had to get out, use a flathead screwdriver to pry; just don't damage the floor; Good Luck. It will be worth it!
2007-04-24 13:04:56 · answer #3 · answered by kellistines 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is a tool for that, check your hardware store. Tell them you want a staple remover. They do less damage than plier, screwdrivers etc. I have use a staple remover that my wife got at the office supply store. It is about four inches long and has a long rounded "bill".
2007-04-24 13:32:38 · answer #4 · answered by renpen 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've done this before by using a pair of pliers and a lot of strength.
2007-04-24 13:02:53 · answer #5 · answered by brian M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
These stains usually wont even sand out of the floor. The only solution is to patch in these boards, or to stain the floors a dark color
2016-05-17 23:50:01 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will laugh, but we used a regular kitchen butter knife. It worked great.
2007-04-24 15:31:49 · answer #7 · answered by Lin s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋