Deck Building and Wood Flooring Trick

Whether it’s a deck or a floor, this wood flooring trick can help achieve a more perfect surface.

Theresa and I used a deck-building trick installing our wide plank pine floor as part of our ongoing kitchen remodel.

See, we’re using Eastern White Pine and the beauty of it is its imperfection, part of which is that boards are bowed sometimes.

So to snug up the seems between boards we used the old chisel-as-pry-bar trick.

Here’s how it works: Drive your chisel into the joist where the deck board (or floor board) bows the most. Drive the chisel at about a 20 degree angle.

Make sure the bevel is facing the deck board. Then push the chisel straight. It takes some umph to be sure (enough that there are tools invented to take some of the strain out of it), but it works.

Let us know if you’ve tried this wood flooring trick and how it worked for you.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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