I have this type of wire staple in my attic holding wires together in certain places but I need to move the wires. How do I remove these?
How to remove plastic-headed wiring staples
cablesnailsremoval
Related Solutions
Use a heat gun to heat up the tiles and soften the adhesive underneath and pry it up with something (putty knife/scraper/pry bar).
You should be able to buy floor adhesive remover to get the stuff off of the bottom tiles you want to keep. I found some that was a sort of gel that you spread around on the floor and let it sit for 15 - 30 minutes. Then, scrape it up and it would pull some of the adhesive up too. It was not perfect for me (vinyl tiles glued to hardwood) but it worked OK.
The stuff I used is made by Klean Strip and was available at the local Lowes, http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=72&prodid=115
If you really want to try to save the plank, BMitch's instructions for removal are spot on but instead of a circular saw, get yourself one of these babies:
The square blade shown here will give you clean end cuts, and for your long run, this blade will be your friend:
You'll get very straight, TIGHT cut lines along the seams, be practically invisible when all is back in place.
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Best Answer
You can use the claw of a hammer, a cat's paw, a small pry bar or a flat blade screwdriver as a prying device. Slip the prying device between the plastic & the cable, or slip it between the wood and plastic and pry. Pry gently if you're between the cable and the staple - you don't want to dig into the cable housing and damage it. You can also twist to gently begin moving it away.
If the wire staple is really tight, you can use vice-grips* to grab the plastic around the nail and pry it out a bit until you get enough room to get under there to pry it out. (Or, just keep bending with the vice-grips until you get the nail out - they're not that long.)
Depending on the amount of effort that goes into removing them, you may be able to reuse the wire staples to resecure the wire in its new location, or you may mangle it far beyond reuse. Have a small bag on hand for replacements. It's easier to return the bag unused, than to be up in the attic when you realize you need a few.
*Using "vice-grip" as a generic term for locking pliers, no specific endorsement of Vice-Grip™ brand locking pliers implied or intended.