How to Cut Out Half of a Wall

Make sure that the wall is not a load-bearing wall in the home. Verify this by checking the home’s blueprints or consulting with the home’s builder. If the wall is a load-bearing wall, consult a contractor to find out how much of the wall may safely be removed.

Remove all of the furniture and objects from the rooms on each side of the wall. Cover the floor on both sides of the wall and any fixtures that you can’t remove with dropcloths.

Turn the power off in the rooms on either side of the wall. Find the stud that runs down the height of the wall closest to where you want to start cutting the wall with a stud finder from one side of the wall. Break through the wall with a hammer on the side of the stud where you want to cut the wall.

Look for wires or pipes behind the wall. If you find wires or pipes, you must relocate them to the other section of the wall. Hire a contractor to do this if you do not know how to move electrical wires or pipes safely.

Cut along the length of the stud with a drywall saw so that the edge of the drywall lines up with the stud you marked. Go to the opposite side of the wall, break through the drywall with a hammer, and cut along the stud on that side as well to ensure an even wall. Remove the rest of the drywall on both sides of the wall with the hammer and check each cavity between the wall studs for wires or pipes.

Cut the wall studs at the top where they meet the ceiling and the bottom where they meet the floor with a circular saw. Remove the studs from the wall.

Measure the space left open in the ceiling from the removal of the wall. Cut a piece of drywall to this size and secure it to the wood plate that crosses the top of the wall with screws so that the screw heads sit an eighth of an inch below the surface of the drywall. Measure the opening in the wall next to the stud, cut a piece of drywall to this size, and secure that piece of drywall in place with screws as well so that the screws sink into the wall by an eight of an inch.

Fill in the tops of the screws with joint compound and apply compound at the sides of the drywall where it meets the two walls. Let the compound dry and paint the drywall the same color as the rest of the ceiling and wall, or install the same ceiling and wall coverings used on the rest of the ceiling and wall.

Measure the opening left in the floor from the wall removal. Cut a piece of plywood down to this size and secure it to the joists in the floor with screws. Cover the plywood with the same floor covering used on the rest of the floor.