How to Replace a Floor Joist From Termites

Remove any room fixtures that get in the way of removing the flooring, such as the frame of doors and wall trim. In general, remove a fixture by tapping a putty knife behind the fixture where it attaches to the wall and prying the fixture away from the wall surface.

Take up the flooring in the area of the floor where you need to replace the floor joist damaged by termites. Remove the flooring cautiously, so that you can reuse as much of the flooring as possible.

Pull the nails from the wood planks or plywood sheets that create the subfloor surface with a hammer. Pull the planks or plywood sheets up from the floor joists. Inspect the planks or sheets for termite damage and get new planks or sheets if necessary.

Pull the termite-damaged joist out of the joist hangers on the end joist at either side of the room. If joist hangers were not used in the original installation of the joist and the joist was connected directly to the end joist, cut the joist five to six inches from either end with a circular saw and remove the center of the joist. Use a hammer to pry the joist away from the end joist and hammer nails left behind in the end joist back out of the joist so the surface of the end joist has no protruding hardware.

Use the damaged joist as a guide to cut a new joist of the same length. Place the ends of the new joist into the joist hangers at either side of the room. If joist hangers were not originally used, attach joist hangers to the end joists with screws and place the new joist into the joist hangers.

Place the planks or the plywood that make up the subfloor surface back over the new joist. Reinstall the walking floor and return the wall fixtures back to the walls.