How to Create an Open Floor Plan by Knocking Down a Wall

Never knock down a wall without first understanding what function the wall serves. Some walls are load bearing, and knocking them down can cause serious structural damage to your home. If you have any doubts, consult a qualified engineer, who will be able to inspect your house and tell you what role the wall plays in the house. Some load-bearing walls can be removed, but they must be replaced with spanning beams or posts.

Utility knife
Hammer
Reciprocating saw
Crowbar
Spackle
Sandpaper
Paint
Floor sander
Polyurethane

Instructions

- 1
  Turn off the electrical circuits to any outlets or switches that are in the wall you're going to knock down.
- 2
  Cut along the corners where the wall meets the ceiling and other walls using a sharp utility knife. This will minimize the damage to adjoining surfaces when you knock the wall down.
- 3
  Pull the drywall from the studs. Bash a hole through the drywall with a hammer, put your hand in the hole and pull. Clean away all the drywall until you are left with a bare wall frame.
- 4
  Cut the joints between the bottoms of the studs and the bottom plate using a reciprocating saw fitted with a metal cutting blade.
- 5
  Remove switches, outlets and wires by disconnecting the switches and outlets and pulling the wires back through the studs until they are free from the wall you are removing.
- 6
  Pull the bottoms of the studs out and pry the tops of the studs from the top plate.
- 7
  Remove the top and bottom plates by prying them from the ceiling and floor with a crowbar.
- 8
  Repair any damage to adjoining walls and ceiling by spackling over joints, sanding and painting.
- 9
  Remove any sign of the old wall on the floor by filling any holes with wood filler, then sanding and refinishing the floor.

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