Hi All,
I need to remove an existing drywall ceiling completely with as little damage to the walls as possible. I would like to know the best way to seperate the drywall in the corners that are taped, finished painted etc.. Should I just score it with a blade and try to snap it out ? I know the ceiling drywall sits on top of the wall boards so I would imagine it would be near impossible to get that piece of drywall out from that “lip”. Am I wrong? Can you pros tell me how you handle this removal like a professional? Much appreciated.
Don
Replies
Here is what I would do:
Go around the room and score the wall at as close to the intersection of the wall and the ceiling. After the first few miscuts, you will get the hang of it. I also like to score the ceiling about 1' away from the wall.
Start from the center with a cut (I use a drywall saw), being careful about wires. Start pulling away. If you're lucky, the ceiling will break about where your cuts are, and you will only have the 1' to ease out.
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
Get a sawzall, or a jig saw, and break off a blade so that it extends 5/8 to 3/4" beyond the end of the shoe when fully extended. Then take that and stitch along the ceiling about half a foot away from the wall. Youy can also stitch the ceiling sheetrock iinto manageable pieces, aboiut 3 ft or 4 ft square. By breaking off the blade, the most that it will cut into the ceiling rafters is 1/8" so you don't have to worry about cutting wires or anything else. It makes a bit of dust but not too bad.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
To DonD from Don D (hmm, am I talking to myself?)
I've done this. I don't think the drywallers are going to nail/screw within 1/2" of the wall when they do the ceiling. So just score the tape and wiggle it out. And then when putting up the new pieces, you've got a little lip there to help hold things up.
It worked for me anyway. When I re-taped, of course I didn't have a perfect 90 degree corner because of the 2 layers of tape on the wall, but it wasn't noticeable.
-Don
Thanks for replies so far guys
Score with utility knife where you want a clean break, then use Ed Hilton's trick with the cutoff blade in a recip saw. Almost any old blade will do the trick.
Run the saw between the ceiling joists, and you will be able to pull the rock down easily.
But then you'll have to deal with all the nails and/or screws, which is what will take the most time.
BTW, recip blades are easy to cut with an angle grinder with metal cutting disc.