Drywall Removal

Safety First:

• Ensure that the property has been tested for the presence of asbestos containing materials, as required by OSHA regulations.

  1. Even if the material is negative for ACM, it's still a silica dust containing material, and proper use of AFDs & respirators are required during removal & cleanup.

• Turn off water to the property while working. (Consider use of signage to warn not to turn the water back on)

Getting Started/ Prepping The Work Area:

• Move Furniture & Content: Get the furniture and content out of the way prior to getting started.

• Drying Equipment Present: If drying equipment is onsite & running, it must be switched off, wrapped up, and moved out of the work area.

• Dehumidifier readings should be collected before moving them, if running.

• It's going to be in the way: It'll just be something else that requires manipulation in the room.

• Dehumidifier(s) should be moved into another area out of the way, and keep it running, as they take a while to start dehumidifying again

  • Ensure that the discharge hose is still in the drain. (even when switched off, the discharge can activate by leaning the unit back for repositioning.)

• Air movers should also be switched off and moved, as they 2 will be in the way & create issues in production efforts.

• Air Filtration Devices should be be operated as normally while work is ongoing to control dust & debris. 

  • Special considerations may be required if they are absolutely going to be in the way. 

  • This requires special shutdown sequences on many situations. 

• Protect Surrounding Areas: Cover adjacent floors with protective material or drop cloths to prevent damage associated with the removal.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear safety glasses, gloves, a dust mask or respirator, and knee pads for comfort.

• Tool Selection: 

  • A hammer.

  • Utility knife

  • Chalk box

  • Motorized cutting tool.

  • HEPA Vacuum

  • Flat pry bar.

• Setup a Containment Barriers: Especially if saws will be required or if you suspect there will be mold growth discovered.

• Use Air Filtration: Especially if saws will be required, or if mold is likely to be discovered during removal. (Negative Pressure is Preferred)

Containment:

• Erect a plastic barrier between work area, and unaffected areas.

  • Large spans will require tension poles to support the plastic, especially when used with negative air pressurization.

  • Use Interference fit 2x materials along walls to give plastic something to be stapled to.

  • Use painters tape as safe barrier to bond plastic & duct tape to.

  • Cut egress point (inverted T cut into the plastic.)

• Set up Air Filtration Device (Preferably Negative Air Pressurization)

  • Ensure that there's enough ducting attached to the unit to allow it to be moved around the room while working.

Marking Drywall for Removal: 

• Use a chalk line at a premeasured height to snap a line for removal.

  • If working alone, use a drywall screw shallowly anchored into the drywall to hook the chalk line to.

  • Snap your line for a straight, visible line to follow with your cutting tool.

• Drywall installed on walls are removed at various heights:

  • 2' flood cut: The actual measurement from the floor is 24 1/2"

    • This 1/2" difference allows a gap at the bottom between the subfloor & the drywall to avoid wicking moisture from concrete or subflooring.

  • Below the baseboard line: typically less than 3.25"

  • 4' removal: Removal of an entire horizontally installed board

  • Floor to Ceiling Removal: Removal of drywall from the entire wall. 

• Drywall is removed from ceilings in a few ways, such as:

  • The entire ceiling is removed

  • Ceiling where moisture is detected

  • Ceiling area just large enough to slide out wet insulation batts

  • Edge of the ceiling (generally reserved for situations where the ceiling is wet only along walls.)

  • Drywall ideally will be removed from ceilings in full 4' x 8' sheets where possible. 

    • This is to make repairs later much easier.

• Indicate which side of the mark that is to be removed with an X if possible.

  • Ensuring that the crew members understand where the removal should be is critical.

• Cuts should be made down the removal side of the next joist or truss. 

  • Perpendicular cuts should be made as straight as possible using a chalk line where possible. 

  • Perpendicular cuts should be true to the closest wall.

• Note: Understand that removal of drywall from ceilings can result in unexpected surprises such as;

  • Tons of insulation falling; blown or batted.

  • Items stored in the attic, such as christmas tree ornaments and other seasonal decorations falling down.

  • Mice, bats, racoons & even snakes falling into the work area, although this is exceptionally rare.

Removal Tools:

• Utility knife: This is probably the simplest most readily available tool. Rarely cuts deep enough to effect wires & pipes.

• Tin Snips: helpful for cutting plastic or metal outside corner bead. 

• Keyhole saw: This is very slow going, doesn't work for corner bead, uncontrolled depth of cut)

• Oscillating tool: A very fast tool, depth of cut is uncontrolled, but easily manageable.

  • Bi-metal blade: This is used for corner beads used at inside corners

  • Wood Cut blade:  This is used for large areas between outside corners.

• Kett Saw: This is a small circular saw with a vacuum port. Depth of cut is easily controlled.

• Reciprocating saw: This is generally a bad idea, due to the potential depth of cut. 

  • There are special blades that limit the depth of cut to 1/2" or 5/8" inch to avoid cutting into wiring and pipes.

• Circular saw: This works, but it is awkward & the depth of cut is easily controlled

• Rotary tool with a spiral bit: This is quite fast, but hard to keep in a straight line, depth of cut is easily controlled.

• The hammer saw: This is using a hammer to smash holes in the drywall in a relatively straight line for removal of drywall. Please understand this is exceptionally unprofessional, and you'll probably be terminated for doing this. It looks terrible both while doing it, and the resulting line left.

Drywall Removal: 

• Start cutting with removal at least 2' beyond where the moisture migration line ended. 

  • This creates a safe zone between what was wet, and what is truly unaffected.

  • Cuts should start & end on the removal side of a wall stud or joist/truss.

  • Cut vertically along the removal side of the stud to allow easier repair later.

• Cut a straight horizontal line with the tool, working from one side to the other.

  • Working with a vacuum in hand or connected to a vacuum port is relatively unnecessary due to the extensive cleaning that will be required after drywall is removed regardless of efforts to control dust with a vacuum.

  • If the cutting tool allows easy control of the drywall dust generated while using the tool, without requiring awkward cutting or massive labor inefficiencies then they can & should be used to cut down on the amount of silica dust generated. 

    • Regardless of use of a vacuum for dust collection &/or use of an AFD, proper respiratory protection is still required.

• Remove the corner bead at approximately the same height as the cut made using the bi-metal blade, or snips.

Insulation Removal:

• If insulation is wet, contaminated or any other reason that'd necessitate it's removal, remove it now.

• Insulation that's found wet in an area where there's been a 2' flood cut, should not be "pulled" out to remove.

  • This insulation should be cut with a utility knife below the level of the drywall cut.

  • This remaining insulation, typically less than an inch, should be rolled or carefully pushed up into the wall cavity so it's not visible. 

  • Pulling insulation down and ripping or tearing it for removal creates a potential insulation gap at the top of the wall. 

    • This gap can create future moisture issues in the home.

Screw & Nail Removal:

• The demo isn't done, till the nails & screws are gone:

  • Nails, staples & screws must all be pulled and removed.

  • All bits of drywall between screws, staples and nails must also be cleaned up.

  • Adhesives used to bond drywall to framing should also be documented & removed using a oscillating tool & a razer scraper blade.

Debris Handling:

• Removed drywall pieces should be broken down into smaller pieces to be slipped into trash bags.

• Be careful with breaking up the pieces & bagging as the screws & nails can stab & scratch.

  • Clean up remaining debris with brooms & dust pans.

  • Vacuum remaining debris remaining after sweeping.

Inspection and Cleaning:

• Inspect the exposed studs and wiring & plumbing for any damage caused by the removal process.

  • Report the damage immediately to management.

  • Leaking water lines should be capped to avoid further problems.

• Thoroughly clean the work area by means of a HEPA vacuum to remove any remaining dust and debris from floors & stud cavities.

Prepare for Drying After Demolition

• After demolition is completed & the work area is cleaned up: Technicians must prepare the project for drying.

• This is done by:

  • Sealing up ceilings that are exposed to outdoor conditions

    • This is most commonly handled with plastic sheeting & staples.

    • There's no need in over complicating it, just staple the plastic loosely to the ceiling, leaving it a bit loose on the bottoms of the joists/trusses.

  • The conditions caused by the room you're drying being exposed to exterior air will cause the room to dry extremely slow.

    • In the summer the heat and humidity will overwhelm the dehumidifiers and prevent them from drying the structural compoenents. 

    • The cold dry air in the winter will slow the drying progress in the interior, as well as keep the dehumidifiers in defrost.

    • The attic space will dry regardless of the season with the ceiling covered with plastic as the attic side has had the

    • There are some exceptions where its not recommended to put , however they are extremely rare.

Setup Drying Equipment: (If Applicable)

Equipment Setup: If equipment was removed from the room before getting started, reset that equipment as it was previously.

Documentation:

• Take pictures of the area before, during, and after removal to document pre-existing conditions, the use of PPE, and quality of workmanship & cleaning afterward completion.

• Document the reason for removal, and the condition of the drywall removed.

• Document any other damage found during the removal process.