How to Remove a Faux Stone Facade

Cover windows with plywood to protect them from falling stone or lath. Nail the plywood in place with finish nails and a hammer.

Begin removing the facade from the top of the stone section, near a window or door, and work your way downward. Wear safety goggles, a facemask, heavy work gloves and a hardhat for protection during the removal process. Climb a ladder to reach the top facade areas.

Score a line into one of the stones at the edge of a window or door, using the point of the cold chisel about 1/8-inch deep. Place the chisel along the line and strike the head with the hammer to break through the stone along the scored line.

Pry the broken stone away from the wall with the prybar tip, revealing the metal lath beneath.

Slip the prybar beneath the lath and peel the lath (with the veneer still attached) from the surface of the wall in long strips. Place a wooden block beneath the prybar to give you more leverage behind the bar as you force up the lath and stone. The block also keeps you from chipping the subsurface beneath the veneer.

Cut away the metal lath remaining on the wall, using tinsnips. Cut the lath into strips about 1 or 2 feet wide, then pull the strips of cut lath free from the walls.

Use the claw end of the hammer to pull nails holding the lath in place. Pull off any paper wrap left on the subsurface.