How to remove thin nails from plywood to gain access to loft tank

Neil23 · Monday at 3:40 PM

Okay, not exactly plumbing but a problem that some plumbers might have experienced.

We have a loft area where the previous own 'boarded up' the cold water tank (ie made an effective 'wall') using thick plywood and thin nails that have been hammered in flush/below the surface of the plywood - I guess nailed into the beams behind.

The question is - how best to remove the nails? (so that we can remove some panels of plywood to gain access to the loft tank where the ballcock needs replacing.

Anyone?

snowhead · Monday at 5:17 PM

Start on a corner or a join between 2 panels and prise the plywood up with a strong paint scraper or thin chisel.

Or screw some large screws into the panels near the edge and away from the supporting timbers and pull on the panel with claw hammer, crowbar or anything else that will hook onto the large screws

OR, knock all the nails into the supporting timbers, then the panel should come loose, BUT beware of any pipes or cables behind.

Neil23 · Monday at 5:41 PM

Thanks - whoever installed this made the plywood panel flush everywhere, and there doesn't appear to be anywhere to get anything behind the plywood... from memory (will need to look again) as to how big the nails are in terms of knocking them through - I expect there to be typical roof beams/joists behind...
This might work "Or screw some large screws into the panels near the edge and away from the supporting timbers and pull on the panel with claw hammer"

How to remove thin nails from plywood to gain access to loft tank

View the thread, titled "How to remove thin nails from plywood to gain access to loft tank" which is posted in Off-topic Chat on UK Plumbers Forums.

Neil23

snowhead

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