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Need some help from the brain trust
I am trying to pull up treated 5/4 deck boards
They are screwed down with Phillips head screws
The screw heads are stripped
I have tried crow bar and saws all , neither worked very good
Any ideas or other things someone has tried ?
Trying to save main structure to put down new boards
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Vernon

Was gonna suggest sawsall but you tried that...................
What about one of those unscrew stripped head thing a ma jiggies you see advertised on tv.

Can you try cutting out between joist with a saw and then tackle whats left on top of the joist? Time consuming but may let you get closer to the stripped screws and then you can split the wood between and then take pliers and break screws off at the surface.

Easy Out or Speed Out works like a charm.
Those are trademark names, but its basically a screw extractor set. aka - left handed drill bit.

Carefully run a chainsaw down the joists to remove most of the deck board. What's left should be able to pry up, tear off etc. Any screws still standing could be broken off, cut off, etc.

Not being nosey, but why are you wanting to remove the boards?

I would continue to Sawz-all / pry , dont worry about the joist. Soon as you get all the 5/4 up, flip all your joist over that are to damaged to use. Yes, this will take some effort, but you will not have to buy new joist. Also, taking up the 5/4 will be a lot faster now that your not worried about the damage your causing.

Make sure you go back with a Torx deck screw. Let me know if you need any and I will bring you some when i come up in a few weeks.

If all of the screws are placed in a line, take a circular saw and cut across the boards just behind the nails. This will leave you with a bunch of small boards attached with screws on one end. Grab the loose end and it should pry off easily. Probably will leave some screws left in the joists. Use a hammer to beat these down flat.

Or...get a BIG crowbar and a railroad iron. Get someone to pry them up with the crowbar enough to get the railroad iron in there. Once you get them started they should pop off pretty easy.

Gonna have to break a sweat on this one.

Wildfowler wrote:Carefully run a chainsaw down the joists to remove most of the deck board. What's left should be able to pry up, tear off etc. Any screws still standing could be broken off, cut off, etc.

Id go this route to save as much of the board for possible other projects, etc.. Then take a sawzall with a metal blade and cut the nails flush if you have enough room to get the blade in. You should be able to nail any extra down fairly easy so replacement boards are flush.

use a grinder with an abrasive cutting wheel or a zip wheel to cut off the left nails / screws.

jdbuckshot wrote:use a grinder with an abrasive cutting wheel or a zip wheel to cut off the left nails / screws.

Yep cut between each joist then pull the boards up. Any left over screws a grinder will knock out in short time.

Trackhoe.....