Remove Tack Strip From Concrete Without Damaging Floor

If your floor is concrete then you can take a pry bar or the back of a hammer and place it under the strip directly next to one of the nails in it.

Remove tack strip from concrete without damaging floor.

For safety place each strip in a box or trash can as you remove it. If you plan to polish the concrete and use it as the floor surface fill these holes with masonry caulking or leveling compound. Carpet tack strips can usually remain in place but look for rust rot or other damage. The tack strips used to secure carpeting to a concrete slab are equipped with small hardened nails that penetrate and grip the concrete.

You must not pull out the nails. If you decide to remove the carpet you must also pry up the tack strips which are held in place with nails. Sweep the entire floor as soon as the tack strips have all been removed. These small nails must be pried out as the tack strip is removed and they typically chip out the concrete gripped by them.

If you are pulling up carpet from stairs. This will avoid damage to the hardwood floors from grit and debris trapped beneath the tack strips. I did remove tack strips from a terazzo concrete floor before refinishing the floor with an acid wash. Since these tack strips are nailed into the floor there will be small holes in the floor when you are done but it is important to cause as little damage as possible in the process.

Begin at the top of the stairs. Removing tack strips from concrete leaves holes in the subfloor. If the floor is made of concrete you are left with unsightly holes along the perimeter of the room. Roll or fold the strip secure with duct tape and remove it from the room.

I love using the wonder tool and these pliers for this job. A lot of times i can just use the pliers to get the staples up but some staples are so close to the floor that i need to use the wonder tool to get them started. You can take the woode out from around the nails and then.