Nail puller a nifty tool for renovation and demolition work
Saving wood in good condition is a wise decision
Q What’s the best way to remove old joist hangers from where my deck fastens to my house? I’m demolishing an old deck, but the ledger board fastened to the house is still in good condition with proper flashing. I want to keep this wood in place.
A From the photos you sent it looks to me like you’ve got a well-installed ledger board, and the wood appears to be in good condition. You’re wise to want to retain it and there are a couple of ways to succeed.
The first is using a hand tool called a nail puller. It’s made to grip the nail just below the head, then pull it out as you twist the handle. I really love my nail puller. Just lever out the nails and the joist hangers will come off easily.
Another option is to slice the nail heads off flush with the wood using a reciprocating saw fitted with a hacksaw blade. Pry the joist hanger away from the wood a bit with a fine-tipped pry bar, then slip between the hanger and the wood with that reciprocating saw blade.
Leave the nail shanks in the wood (they’ll do no harm), pounding them down flush after you’ve sawed off the heads and removed the old hangers.
PICNIC TABLE WOOD FINISH
Q What’s the best low-maintenance finish for a picnic table? I’m building the table out of fir and southern yellow pine, but am not sure how to finish it. I know all outdoor furniture finishes have to be maintained, but I’m looking for recommendations for lowest maintenance options.
A My own approach for picnic tables is to go with no finish. Your table will last just as long as a finished table, but there’s no maintenance except for cleaning.
One thing I do recommend is something called Ecowood treatment. It’s a powder that you mix with water and slosh or spray onto bare wood. It gives the wood an even, richer weathered appearance, which is nicer than the uneven weathering that sets in naturally.
You can learn more about the intentional weathering option at baileylineroad.com/ecowood.
If you want a more refined, unweathered look, consider an exterior oil finish. You’ll need to reapply this once a year, but the nice thing about oil is that it never peels. Preparing your table for recoating just involves washing off the table, letting it dry for several days, then brushing on more oil. Minwax Teak Oil is currently my favourite exterior oil.
Whatever you do don’t paint the table or apply any kind of film-forming transparent finish. These all peel in time, creating a nightmare for preparing the surface.
GLASS-SMOOTH WOOD FINISH
Q What are the best abrasive pads to use for the polyurethane buffing technique you teach in one of your videos? I want to create that smoothas-glass finish you show, but
I’m not sure if I’ve got the right abrasive pads. Also, can I use a square electric sander instead of the random orbit kind you use?
A The pads you have may be fine, but if they don’t work properly you should use the kind I use. I buy them from Lee Valley Tools. Your square electric finishing sander may work, but probably not too quickly. It’s not so much the round shape of the random orbit sander that you want as it is the extra power and range of motion of the pad as it works. Try the square model you have. If it doesn’t seem to be doing much, get your hands on a random orbit sander instead. Visit baileylineroad.com/7619 for more detailed instructions than you saw on my video.
Steve Maxwell is often amazed at what the right abrasive can do. Visit Steve at BaileyLineRoad.com for thousands of Canadian articles and videos on home improvements and hands-on living.