Learning how to remove buried nails from wood can help you remove sunken nails, bent and galvanized nails, and headless nails from nail holes.
Nails are an integral part of woodworking. They are usually hammered or pushed into the wood using a nail gun or hammer during construction and renovation projects.
They are used to hold the shape of the wood structure together. Since we can’t avoid them in our homes, we might as well learn the nails-removal-skill; it will come in handy sooner or later.
As a passionate woodworker, I have put together everything you need to know in this detailed guide.
The idea is to help you remove nails from your wood and show you how to do it without damaging the wood surface.
Let’s dive right in.
Safety Precautions
Nails are sharp objects that can cause serious body injury if mishandled. That said, you need to wear protective gear such as heavy duty gloves to protect your hands from scratches and pricks while pulling nails.
Goggles will protect your eyes from any flying nails. Protective boots will protect your feet from pricks caused by fallen nails on the floor.
Also, keep away children and pets from your workspace to avoid any unforeseen injuries. You know how kids and pets have one thing in common: they can’t stay still.
How to Remove Buried Nails from Wood: The Methods
Before you settle on using any particular tool for removing nails from wood, you need to consider the type of nails on your wood, how deep it’s buried, and the required tools available to you.
Tools and materials
- Claw hammer
- Reciprocating saw
- Nail kicker
- Nail jack
- Pry bar
- Cat’s paw
- Needle nosed pliers
- Diagonal cutter
- Heavy-duty gloves
- Safety glasses(goggles)
Removing Nails Using Claw Hammer
This is your go-to option if the nail on your wood is shallowly hammered into the wood. Even better if the nail on your wood is a bit large and the nail head is visible on the surface.
Use this option if you are not worried about damaging your wooden objects because it can cause permanent damage.
The Steps
Step 1: Locate the particular nails you want to remove from your wood surface.
Step 2: Place your claw end on the head of the nail and catch a tight hold with a supporting hammer.
Step 3: Begin prying slowly to lift the nail head from the surface. Pry the nail to the left and the right, back and forth.
Step 4: Once the nail is lifted enough from the surface, hold the part close to the wood surface and continue pulling it sideways, back and forth, until the nail instantly fall.
Step 5: Repeat this process for all the parts of the wood surface from which you need to remove nails. Remember to put the removed nails in a container or somewhere safe that won’t cause any injury.
Removing Buried Nails Using Nail Kicker
Using nail kickers can give you excellent results once you get the hang of using them. The time you spend setting it up will eventually save you effort and time during the actual process.
This method is most suitable for pull nails buried deeply in wood. It is also your best option if you are hoping to protect delicate surfaces.
The Steps
Step 1: Set up your wood surface in readiness for the nail removal process.
Step 2: Place the nail kicker on the deeply rooted nail’s head, then slightly push it into the wood surface.
Step 3: The nail kicker automatically pushes out the stubborn nails. If you have bent nails, place the nail kickers above the nail head, straighten it then proceed with the same step.
Step 4: Repeat the same process if the entire nail doesn’t come off in the first attempt. Work on the entire surrounding wood surface with the nails to be removed.
If this method sounds too complicated for you, we have several other methods in this article that can get the job done. Feel free to choose what works for you.
Read: Deck screws for treated lumber
Removing Buried Nails Using Nail Jack
A nail jack is another handy tool that can remove nails from wood. It is relatively small yet strong and easy to use in the following steps.
The Steps to remove nails
Step 1: Position the tip of the nail jack on the wood surface close to the nail’s head
Step 2: Hammer it slightly under the nail head for a good grip.
Step 3: Tighten the grip and bend the nail jack backward with pulling power. The stuck nail will come out of the surface within seconds.
Step 4: Repeat the process to remove nails that ought to be removed from the wooden surface.
Removing Buried Nail Using Pry Bar
Pry bars are perfect for heavy-duty nail removal jobs. They also are excellent alternatives for hammers. Here’s how to use pry bars to remove nails in easy steps.
The Steps
Step 1: Identify the nails you want to remove.
Step 2: Position your pry bar slightly below the nail’s head if it’s visible. If the nail is deep in the wood, use a hammer to knock the bar twice or thrice on the side of the nail. This will expose the nail head.
Step 3: Stabilize the pry bar around the nail head and then pull back the pry bar to lift the nail from your wooden furniture surface.
Step 4: With that success, repeat the process and remove nails that need to be removed from your wood.
Related read: How to remove a tiny screw with no head.
Removing Bent and Galvanized Nail Head from Wood Using Cat’s Paw
Cat’s paws look a lot like pry bars. The difference is, it is a bit smaller and gentle on your wood’s surface.
The Steps
Step 1: Identify the part of the wood with the nails that need to be removed.
Step 2: Angle your cat’s paw at about 45- degree angle above the head of the nail.
Step 3: Using a hammer handle, hit the cat’s paw’s angled point until you get a firm grip under the nail head.
Step 4: Secure the grip on the nail head, then pull it back to remove stuck nails from the wooden surface.
Instead of using your arm to pull back the paw, hammer it backward until the nail comes off the wood.
Remove Headless Nails Using a Pair of Pliers
You have two tools you can use to pull this off: needle-nose pliers and diagonal cutting pliers.
The Steps
Step 1: Identify the headless nail on your wooden surface.
Step 2: Use the needle-nose pliers to grab the upper tip of the nail. This plier can also remove nails that are smaller from wood once you get a firm grasp on the nail.
Step 3: Start pulling the nail in the upward same motions. Release and pick the nail until it’s on the surface of the wood piece.
Step 4: Use diagonal cutting pliers to grab hold and finally pull the protruding nail from the surface. Avoid grabbing the nail too tightly as the cutter might cut it in the middle.
Step 5: Repeat the process until you are done removing nails from your wood.
Removing Nails Using Reciprocating Saw
Reciprocating saw is a fantastic option to cut through buried nails from wood. However, only use this method if you demolish your wooden structures or don’t mind damaging wood.
Use the 10-teeth-per-inch blade for this particular task if you want the best results. However, if you don’t have the reciprocating saw at your disposal, you can use all-purpose blades with some effort to get the job done.
The Steps
Step 1: Identify the nail that has got to go.
Step 2: Push the saw guard firmly against the wood, then cut the nail.
FAQs
How do you remove sunken nails from wood?
You can remove sunken small nails from wood using a cat’s paw pry bar. The pointed claws of this tool dig into the wood and settle around the nail head when you hammer it a little. Once you secure a tight grip on the nail head, pull the cat’s paw backward or the hammer’s handle to remove the nail from the wood.
How do you remove a buried nail?
You can remove a buried nail using a hammer claw, nail jack, nail kickers, pry bar, cat’s paw, putty knife, pliers, and reciprocating saws. You can remove a buried nail. First, ensure the tool you choose has a strong grip on the nail, then straight pull out the nail from the wood.
How do you get nails out without damaging the wood?
You can get nails out without damaging the wood by placing a scrape wooden block close to the nail to act as a pivot point for either a claw hammer, cat’s paw, pry bar, nail jack, or nail kicker. That way, the pressure used to lift the nail from wood rests on the wooden block instead of the actual wood surface in question.
Now, discover the best nailer for trim in our detailed guide.
Conclusion
I hope you have learned how to remove buried nails from wood from this article. The methods we have discussed above are pretty simple yet effective once you know how to use them.
If you have larger projects that you need to remove nails from, you can do it yourself if you have the time or outsource professional help.
Remember to use the necessary tools determined by the status of the nail on the wood.
Let’s interact further in the comments section below. Also, let us know if other tools are missing from this post.