Removing a Wall Inside Your Home

Your home is built with both load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls. Load-bearing walls hold up the weight of the floor above them. Non-load-bearing walls are built as divisions in the home but do not contribute to the support structure. You can expand rooms in the home by knocking out walls that do not carry a load. Have your home inspected by a certified home examiner before knocking down walls, to prevent accidents.

Plastic sheeting
Safety glasses
Boots
Mask
Pry bar
Screwdriver
Reciprocating saw

Instructions

- 1
  Shut off the electricity in the room at the fuse box.
- 2
  Remove all the furniture from the room.
- 3
  Cover the floor with plastic to catch debris and prevent damage to the carpet or flooring.
- 4
  Put on safety glasses, heavy boots and a face mask.
- 5
  Cut a portion of the wall near the top and look for a double top plate, or whether the joists go over the top plate. This is a load-bearing wall and should not be removed. Otherwise, move ahead with the project.
- 6
  Remove the molding from the bottom of the wall using a pry bar.
- 7
  Remove the cover plates from all fixtures on the wall. Unscrew the fixtures. Screw a wire nut over the end of the exposed wiring and pull it out of the wall to a new location. Call a professional electrician if you are not comfortable with electrical work.
- 8
  Cut along the wall corner with a reciprocating saw. Cut wire mesh if the corners are reinforced.
- 9
  Pound a hole in the wall with a hammer. Insert a pry bar and pull the drywall from the studs.
- 10
  Cut between the stud and the plate of the wall using a reciprocating saw. Hit the studs in the wall with a sledgehammer to knock out the wood.
- 11
  Remove the remainder of the wall and remove all debris from the room.

How to Improve Old Walls

Removing Adhesive From Painted Sheetrock Wall

Wall Repairs