Remove Tack Strip From Concrete Without Damaging Floor

Sweep the entire floor as soon as the tack strips have all been removed.

Remove tack strip from concrete without damaging floor.

I love using the wonder tool and these pliers for this job. Roll or fold the strip secure with duct tape and remove it from the room. 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.

For safety place each strip in a box or trash can as you remove it. 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. If you are pulling up carpet from stairs. If you decide to remove the carpet you must also pry up the tack strips which are held in place with nails.

If you plan to polish the concrete and use it as the floor surface fill these holes with masonry caulking or leveling compound. These small nails must be pried out as the tack strip is removed and they typically chip out the concrete gripped by them. This will avoid damage to the hardwood floors from grit and debris trapped beneath the tack strips. You can take the woode out from around the nails and then.

Once you have all of the tack strips up it is time to remove any staples on the floor from the carpet pad. Carpet tack strips are wooden boards installed around the perimeter of a floor to hold carpet in place. Continue pulling up carpet a few feet at a time and cutting it into easy to handle strips. Removing tack strips from concrete leaves holes in the subfloor.

Begin at the top of the stairs. 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. You must not pull out the nails.