Steps
- Usually quarter-round and base molding must be removed first. This is done with a flat bar or other prying tool. Both moldings are usually affixed with nails and should be pried from the walls working from nail to nail. Depending on the need to reuse the moldings, care can be exercised to remove the moldings in their entirety. Molding and trim around windows and doors must also be removed in similar fashion.
- Standard drywall installation is done using 4x8 ft panels mounted horizontally with two "rows" used to cover a standard 8 ft wall. They are nailed into vertical wooden studs which are centered on 16 inch intervals from each end of the wall. For unsoiled drywall, the flatbar/wrecking bar can be used to pry the bottom of the panel away from the studs allowing removal of the entire sheet. Pushing the short end of the flatbar up under the bottom of the panel allows for using the long end as a lever, making the initial prying easy. For water-damaged drywall, a good strategy is to open a hole at the midpoint of the 14.5 inch space between studs. Identify a section of wall roughly 2 feet above the ground and 8 inches from the end of the wall, making note to avoid electrical outlets. Using the side of hammer's head, make a foot long vertical series of holes sufficient to affect a two-handed grip on the drywall. Grab at the upper and lower extents of the holes and attempt to pull a large chunk of drywall off the nails on the nearby stud. Progressing along the wall to the opposite end, the resulting gap will allow relatively easy out-and-up or out-and-down pulling of the remaining drywall. When the drywall breaks on a stud, repeat the process of making a vertical hole in adjacent gap and continue with hand removal of the drywall. If only removing the lower panel, when pulling out-and-up, bend the drywall up as far as possible and allow it to fall down-- this usually severs the 4 foot seam although additional cutting may be necessary. If the water-damage extends to the upper panel, the same action will usually cleanly seperate the wall from the ceiling.
- Complete the drywall removal by removing the drywall nails left on the studs. The flatbar is adequate for this job although a nail-removal tool often make it easier and faster to remove the 20-40 nails in each panel.
Tips
- If electrical outlet covers are to be reused, remove them beforehand, using a screwdriver.
- Use a utility knife to score the seam between moldings and drywall. The seam is typically filled with paint, caulk, or combination, thereof. If you desire to reuse the molding, score more to the drywall edge of the seams as your intent is to create the fracture on the wall where the molding and associated drywall surface will split.
- In some situations, the nails are not clearly visible. Rub the tool up and down the length of exposed stud to find remaining nails.
Warnings
- Always wear eye protection, gloves, helmet, and closed shoes/boots when engaged in demolition. A filtering mask may also be beneficial to reduce inhaled dust.
- Insure electrical service is cut for the room being demo'd. When in doubt, turn off the main circuit.
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Remove Drywall. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.