Remove Tack Strip From Concrete Without Damaging Floor

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.

Remove tack strip from concrete without damaging floor. Carpet tack strips are wooden boards installed around the perimeter of a floor to hold carpet in place. Roll or fold the strip secure with duct tape and remove it from the room. 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. Begin at the top of the stairs.

If you are pulling up carpet from stairs. These small nails must be pried out as the tack strip is removed and they typically chip out the concrete gripped by them. I love using the wonder tool and these pliers for this job. This will avoid damage to the hardwood floors from grit and debris trapped beneath the tack strips.

Once you have all of the tack strips up it is time to remove any staples on the floor from the carpet pad. You can take the woode out from around the nails and then. If you decide to remove the carpet you must also pry up the tack strips which are held in place with nails. Continue pulling up carpet a few feet at a time and cutting it into easy to handle strips.

I did remove tack strips from a terazzo concrete floor before refinishing the floor with an acid wash. If you plan to polish the concrete and use it as the floor surface fill these holes with masonry caulking or leveling compound. You must not pull out the nails. For safety place each strip in a box or trash can as you remove it.

Removing tack strips from concrete leaves holes in the subfloor. The tack strips used to secure carpeting to a concrete slab are equipped with small hardened nails that penetrate and grip the concrete. If the floor is made of concrete you are left with unsightly holes along the perimeter of the room.