Removing a Wall
Remove the trim. The baseboard has probably been nailed into the studs and floor plate. Start removing it at a doorway, driving a pry bar between a stud and the baseboard with a hammer. Work your way down the wall, prying at every stud, and then pull the board loose by hand. Door and window trim is nailed into the studs, usually with a double row of nails. Pry each nail until the trim starts to loosen up and take it off by hand.
If you are going to reuse the tri, remove the nails. In order to avoid splintering the board, pull the nails out from the back. End cutter remove nails quickly and cleanly. Pinch the nail at the board and roll the cutter side ways to pull the nail partway out. Repeat to remove. If you are throwing the trim away, bend the nails over so that it does not injury anyone.
Open up the wall. If you are removing part of a wall, start by drawing a line centered on the first stud that will renail on each side of the opening. On drywall, cut along the line with a utility knife. On plaster, cut the line with a circular saw, cutting through the lath but not into the stud. Break a hole in the wall with a 3 pound sledgehammer.
Remove the plaster or drywall. If you try to remove the entire wall surface with a hammer, it will break the wall into tiny pieces, making it hard to bring down a lot of the wall quickly. When you have made the hole in the wall with the hammer, make quick work of the rest of the job with a flat-back garden spade.
Also remember that in the woodwork, removing a wall means taking out the pipes and wiring in it also. Always double check to make sure the power is off, and double check it again before you begin to take down outlets or switches. Pull the cables through the floor, wall or ceiling as need to remove it. Coil wires with wire nuts and tap them down with electrical tape.
To remove studs cut through the middle with a handsaw or a reciprocating saw. Press them back and forth to pry them away from the soleplate and top plate. To remove the end studs, cut them by cutting through the studs on adjoining wall. Them pull them loose.
To remove the top plate, 1St make 2 cuts about 3 inches apart through it, using a reciprocation saw or handsaw. Knock the cut section away with the pry bar and hammer.
Pry down the remaining length of top plate with a pry bar. Work slowly to avoid damaging the ceiling beneath the plate, which will be visible.
Remove a 3-inch wide section of soleplate with the reciprocating saw or handsaw. Pull out the entire soleplate using a pry bar.
