# How to Check Load Bearing on an Internal Wall
Before you make any structural changes to an internal wall, you must first find out if it is load bearing. Load bearing means the wall helps support the building's structure above it. If you remove a load bearing wall or cut an opening without first giving it the proper support the building will sag. There are a few key things to look for to determine whether an interior wall is load bearing.
Things You'll Need
- Drywall saw
Instructions
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1
Observe the floor layout above and below the internal wall. Most load bearing walls run perpendicular across the ceiling joists. If the interior wall has another wall running either directly above or below it, it is a load bearing wall.
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2
Cut away a small portion of drywall from above any doorways already built into the interior wall using a drywall saw. If you locate a header above the doorway, the wall is load bearing. A header is two 1-by-10 boards screwed together and mounted horizontally above the door opening.
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3
Cut a small portion of drywall away from the side of a doorway in the interior wall using a drywall saw. If the side is built up with a series of three 2-by-4 boards screwed together, the wall is probably load bearing.
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Previous:
Walls
- How to Temporarily Brace for a Load Bearing Wall Removal
- How to Build an Extra Load Bearing Wall Truss
- How to Add a Load Bearing Wall Due to a Sag in the Floor
- How to Reinforce a Load Bearing Wall
- How to Render an Internal Wall
- How to Add a Window Opening in a Load Bearing Wall
- How to Cut a Hole in a Load Bearing Wall for a Window
- How to Check a Wall Receptacle
- How to Determine a Load Bearing Wall on a Floor Plan
- How to Add an Interior Doorway to a Load Bearing Wall
- How to Frame Non Load Bearing Walls
- Removing a Portion of a Load Bearing Wall
