How to Separate Hardwood Flooring

Drill a line of holes into both ends of the board, just inside the seam where the board meets the adjoining board, with a spade bit. Drill the holes so that the sides of the holes overlap slightly.

Make several cuts along the length of the board with a circular saw to connect the drilled holes at each end of the board. Set the depth of the saw blade to match the depth of the board.

Pry the cut strips of wood from the center of the board with a chisel and hammer. Insert the tip of the chisel into a cut and drive the chisel towards the bottom of the strip with the hammer.

Position pieces of masking tape around the edges of the surrounding boards, where those boards meet the board you are removing, to protect the surrounding pieces. Apply the tape so that it completely covers the edges of the surrounding boards so that only the edges of the board you are removing are visible.

Insert the tip of the chisel between the seam of the board and the masking tape, then tap the chisel straight down and into the seam. The purpose here is to square off the end of the board you are removing to prevent the wood from splintering when you pry it away.

Position the chisel against the bottom of the remaining portions of the board you are removing, and tap the chisel underneath the remaining pieces until they detach from the underlying surface.