I pried off some deckboards and the nails stayed in the joists. I want to replace the boards, so I need to remove the nails (yes, I could cut them, but I'm curious how to remove them 🙂 ).
Using the claw of a hammer they wouldn't budge, and some of them I even broke the head right off (it kind of folded up and the "wings" broke off).
So then I got this Crescent 19" Nail Puller and it grabs on super tight even without the heads, but even when I throw my whole weight into them they don't budge.
Are these sometimes just a lost cause that you need to cut off? Or is there some magic trick I'm missing out on to pull them out?
Best Answer
Based on your successful trial from my speculative comment:
I suspected that if you hit them with a hammer hard enough to get them to move (a bit more in - perhaps 1/8 of an inch) they might then be more willing to pull out (since I expect they are corroded-into-the-pressure-treated-wood for "why they are stuck so hard?")
You say it worked, so proof in hand, it's not so speculative anymore.