Reverse Pulling

• If you have access to the back of the board, the removal process is the easiest. There are three ways to remove the nails from the back of the board. The first trick is to hammer the nail out through the back of the board. The problem with this method of removal is that some of the board will often come out along with the nail leaving holes in the surface of the wood. Another method is to use the back side of a hammer to pull the nail out through the back of the wood. This method only works for nails that have very small heads. Larger head nails will not come out this way. The third method of removal from the backside is to not remove the nail at all. A hacksaw can be used to saw the nail off where the nail meets the board.
  
  

Pulling

• The above methods work well if you have access to the back of the boards. However, if you do not have access to the back of the boards, such as when they are attached to the subfloor, then other methods must be employed. If the nail heads are level with the surface of the wood, or are slightly above it, the nails can be removed with the back of the hammer like round nails. However, cut nails generally bite deep into the wood, which makes this removal process difficult, especially for hardwoods like oak. However, there is another method that can be used.
  
  

Sanding

• The best way to remove cut nails from oak floors when the nails are deeply embedded into the oak is to use a sanding technique. Use a hand sander and sand away the wood surrounding the nail. This will cause the nail to stick up above the level of the floor and enable you to pull it out using a hammer. You can also use a floor sander to sand the head off of the nail. This will enable you to lift the boards with a crow bar, or other tool, over the nails. This method should only be used if you do not want to reuse the nails.