Reusing Oak flooring

[ArtisanFarms]

Has anyone reused 3/4" thick strip oak flooring? I might be able to get some from a building materials recycler for the house I am rehabbing am wondering whether it would make more sense to run it through a sander to strip the finish before laying it and than doing a light sanding once it is down, or just laying it with the finish on and sanding it after the floor is down.

 

[rsanter]

You need to be selective as some will be usable and others will be ****.

Typically you lay it down then sand and finish

 

[duneslider]

There is a big market for reusing wood flooring. If the nails and staples are already pulled then its great. You can run into a lot of tongues and grooves that are broken which may just require a little more care and glue during install. If the price is good for the most likely extra effort it will require then it can be a good deal.

 

[txvwnut]

If it’s still useable put it down then sand it. When installing traditional wood flooring it needs to be sanded with a drum sander to get all the joints level then followed up with a pad type sander for a smooth finish.

 

[Darinfred]

Throw it down!

 

[alexb2000]

It is possible, yes. Would I do it, NO! 3/4 Oak is a commodity floor you can get at any supplier. Recycling might make sense if you have a rare wide plank antique floor with a lot of character.

 

[38 Dodge Coupe]

As others have shared it can be done. Depends on condition of the old flooring and number of nails ( or likely staples) in it. In my experience the nails/staples were not easily removed without damage to the board. Just for perspective, when I did it on an house that was built in 1901 I had more time than money, so it's always a trade off.

 

[nadogail]

I was able to acquire a large box of new oak flooring scraps from racket ball court installation, it cost me a couple of 6 packs. I turned them into oven sticks and knife handles