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        How to Demolish Walls and Patch Drywall

        One family unclutters their garage. Find out how to demolish walls safely and patch drywall.
        • Time

          Day

        • Price Range

          $50 - $100

        • Difficulty

          Moderate

        In this Project you will:

        Step 1: Demolish the Old Wall

        To remove the moldings and trim, gently pry them away from the wall using a prybar and hammer. Doorjambs can be removed the same way after the casing is removed.

        Before you start removing any plaster cut along the corners of the wall so plaster from other walls and ceilings will not be pulled off with the plaster you are about to remove. In situations where the corners are reinforced with wire mesh; use a metal cutting blade in your reciprocating saw

        If there are any electrical lines or boxes in the wall they must be removed. First, turn off the power, then remove the electrical boxes, and remove any conduit to a point where it is no longer in the wall.

        Remove the studs by knocking out any blocking and cutting along the joint between the stud and the plate with a reciprocating saw. It may also be possible to knock the studs loose by hitting them at the base parallel to the wall and pulling them off the nails on the top plate.

        Finally, pry up the top and bottom plate and any wall braces with a crow bar.

        Step 2: Patch Your Drywall

        Using a 4"-6" putty knife, scoop knife into the mud. The mud comes with different drying times, but a 40-minute mud is good to use on larger jobs like this. Mix the mud according to the manufacturer’s directions.

        Load about half the putty knife with mud, then center the blade over the area to be patched and begin to apply the mud. Make sure that the area is covered well, about an 1/8" thick. Apply one coat at a time (three coats will be applied).

        Apply stucco patch the same way as the drywall patch, spreading over the area as smoothly as possible. This step will also be repeated three time -- by the third time your patch should match the existing wall. Because the stucco patch has grit in it, you don’t need to sand between layers.

        Now you are going to apply another layer of mud, same process as the first step. Continue these three steps on the remaining areas and allow to dry about 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature that day. When completely dry, sand, then paint.

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