My friends just bought a cool old house in the woods, and it has a TON of termite damage, and we are tearing down the interior walls to identify and replace damaged beams.
on a side note, is it bad to be able to poke a finger through a 2×8?
All the affected studs are in non bearing walls behind 1/2 inch of a drywall like backer board, metal lathe (nailed in a bizzare pattern) and then 1/2 inch of plaster and 1/8 inch skim coat. I am having great difficulty getting it off the walls without damaging the ceiling
Does anyone have any thoughts on a quick way to take this down? I have been using a 4lb drilling hammer, but not having too much luck!
Replies
Generally speaking, the best way to remove plaster is one layer at a time. First get all the plaster off with a coal shovel/floor scraper/flat wrecking bar. Next pull off the lath. etc.
Dust mask, a good one, eye protection and a lot of elbow grease.
Get a diamond blade for your angle grinder. Cut a kerf along the ceiling/wall joint. Cut deep enough that you're going through all of the layers of lathe that are in those corners. Also cut vertical kerfs beside each stud, and some horizontal ones to make each chunk a size that you can handle. (Note that this step requires hearing protection, full goggle eye protection, the best dust mask that you can afford, and really good exhaust ventilation.)
Then just use a prybar to start pulling each piece. When it starts to move, grab it with your (gloved) hands and pull. Toss it in the wheelbarrow and get the next one.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
I am using the diamond blade on a grinder, but I am having a bear of a time with corners ( we are trying to salvage the ceiling, the termite damage in the place is awesome, I will try to post pictures. I am thinking about getting an SDS chisel for my bulldog, to get the tight corners.
I am using a moldex dust mask with vent, but I am coming out of the room coated in plaster.
I've also used an angle grinder with a diamond blade.I've had an SDS for some time (the Bosch 7/8"), but until recently, it never occurred to me to use it as a demo hammer.For our last demo job, I bought a set of chisels and bull points -- it was a bathroom with concrete embedded in wire lath. I was amazed with how well the SDS worked; it skinned the concrete right off the lath (which was then easily pried off the studs).The SDS does not have the muscle of a regular demo hammer, but it is lighter, easier to manuever, and capable of precision demoing (like the corners you are dealing with). The narrow, 3/4" chisel attachment worked the best. If your SDS has a "hammer only" mode, it would be worth your while to give it a try.********************************************************
"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
-- Bertrand Russell
I just ran out got the point, 3/4 chisel, and 11/2 inch for the SDS plus, and cant wait to have at it.
I think you'll be amazed at what it can do; for some reason, the 3/4" chisel was way more efficient than the 1 1/2". I'll be interested to know if the same is true for you. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but the SDS also did a great job for me with tile removal -- and this was old stuff that was stuck down tenaciously. Tried a cold chisel and drilling hammer, and that would have taken about a month to remove what we had to do. the SDS skinned it off in about an hour. The Milwaukee people told me it is pretty hard on the tool. That's why they rig their regular demo hammers to cut out after a certain amount of use -- to force you to lube it. Otherwise you'll wreck the tool. ********************************************************
"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
-- Bertrand Russell
holy cow! it went through it like butter, but, I discovered WAY more bug damage. I used the 1.5 inch chisel and it was great.
It is a bad thing when you vacuum up the sill plate right?
I spent 14 hours slicing peeling and prying away while trying to avoid plumbing and wiring, and then reframing.
The good news was no bracing was needed, because all the beams where toast, and incapable of supporting wieght
Yes, you shouldn't vacuum up the sill plate!RE: "Holy Cow"That's about how I felt when I saw how well the SDS functioned as a demo hammer. I had that machine for years before I even thought to give it a try -- then only becasue somebody else told me about it.********************************************************
"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
-- Bertrand Russell
The corners have at least two (sometimes three) layers of the lathe. And each layer was nailed on separately. The result is that there are now two times as many (or maybe three times) nails. Adding to this is the thought that edge and corner nail should be closer together anyway, and you have your present nightmare.
For what it's worth, I just finished removing a wire lathe, concrete, and tile shower. All the same problems as you have, except my damage is from water, not bugs.
Here's some consolation concerning those corners. When you hang and tape the new drywall, you'll be spending some time mudding and taping the corners anyway. So long as you don't take out any huge chunks, you'll be OK.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Is it really worth the extra trouble to try and save the ceiling? It just seems to me it would be easier to just do the whole room. And then future repairs/modifications that involve the ceiling are a bunch easier.
Of course, you have to factor in the cost of disposal. Plaster is heavy stuff.
-Don
My BIL used all of the plaster debris from gutting his house as a base material for his brick paver patio. He made a shallow excavation, dumped in the relatively "clean" plaster, compacted it with a rental tamper, added an inch of sand and compacted that, then the pavers.I worked great. The old plaster packed down like crushed gravel or road base. He saved money on plaster disposal and on gravel.
I have a dumpster on site, in fact, the dumpster company took out one of the support poles on the carport, and the roof of the carport dropped 2 feet! (they will be fixing that) so instead of working in the house, I was shoring up a roof, big fun
Jeff