How to Tear Down a Wall in a House

Tearing down an interior wall in your home is a significant project. The success of your project will depend on careful preparation, taking your time and exercising care. You will want to remove your wall quickly, safely and without doing any damage to other portions of your home.

Before you get started, make certain that you will not be removing a load-bearing wall. A load-bearing wall supports beams that carry the weight of your structure. If you cannot determine whether the wall is load-bearing, do not remove it without the advice of a structural engineer.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Pry Bar
• Sledgehammer
• Reciprocating saw
• Circular saw

Instructions

1. Establish a place outside to stack your debris from this project. Make sure that the walkway between the wall you are removing the debris pile is wide and free of obstacles and breakable objects. Also, pets and children should be out of the house for this project.

2. Remove furniture, appliances, pictures or anything else that could be damaged. Cover the floor with a tarp or sheet of plastic to minimize the mess.

3. Turn off the circuit breakers for any light switches, electrical outlets or wires that run through the wall. Your circuit breakers will be located in a metal box where your electrical supply comes into the house. Flip the circuit breaker switch for that room to the "off" position. Verify that electricity is off by plugging a lamp into the wall and trying to turn it on. If there are water pipes or drain pipes in the wall, you should turn off the water supply as well.

4. 

   Inside the wall.

   Remove the drywall or plaster from the wall. Use a hammer and pry bar for this task, trying to remove large sections of plaster or drywall at a time. Begin by knocking a hole in the middle of the wall with the hammer. Since the drywall is easy to break through, you will not need to use more than moderate force. Expand the hole until you find a board. Insert your pry bar between the drywall and the board. You may need to tap the pry bar with your hammer to insert it firmly. Pry the drywall away from the board. Continue prying the drywall away from boards that support the wall. Be careful not damage any electrical wires or plumbing pipes that may be inside the wall. Take the drywall and other debris outside as they come off the wall.

5. 

   Maintain an organized work space for safety.

   Remove the studs (upright boards, usually 2x4s) from the wall one at a time. The 2x4s nailed to the floor and the ceiling are called bottom plates and top plates. Use your sledgehammer to knock the bottom of a stud loose from the 2x4 where it is nailed. Use just enough force to dislodge the stud. Repeat this process with the top of the stud. Continue this process until all the studs are removed. View the internal structure of a stud-framed wall at the link in the Resources.

6. Use your circular saw or reciprocating saw to cut studs whenever an electrical wire or plumbing pipe runs through the 2x4. Cut the studs approximately 1 inch above and below the wire or pipe. Exercise extreme caution when making these cuts.

7. Pry the bottom plate (the 2x4 in which the studs were nailed) from the floor using a pry bar. Place a thin board between the floor and your pry bar to protect the finish of your floor. The top plate will be nailed to the boards supporting your ceiling. Insert your pry bar between the top plate and the boards to which it is nailed. You will need to use the hammer to insert the pry bar. Pry the top plate away from the ceiling and remove it. Cushion the pry bar with a thin piece of wood to protect the ceiling.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't get carried away using your sledgehammer and cause more damage than intended.

• Wear safety glasses, gloves and protective shoes.

• Have a licensed electrician move any wiring exposed by the removal of your wall.

• As you open your wall, make certain not to rupture water papers or drain pipes. Know where your water shut-off valve is before you start your project.

References

• Tim Carter on Removing Load-bearing Walls

Resources

• Anatomy of a Stud-Framed Wall