How Much Drywall To Remove After Flood

Media Platforms Design Team

Footstep One: Marker

The water line (the highest betoken that floodwaters reached) will be evident on the drywall. Marking a cut line vi to 12 inches higher up that using either a laser level or marking around the room at a uniform summit to a higher place the floor. Then snap a chalk line. This might seem unnecessarily fussy at this indicate when all you're trying to do is remove soggy drywall to ventilate the wall. Simply a neat job now will greatly speed the installation of replacement drywall.

Stride Two: Place Tarps

Place a tarp at the base of the wall to catch debris. The tarp is a shine surface that will keep the damaged expanse cleaner and make it easier to scoop droppings off the flooring.

Step 3: Cut

Cut forth the line with a abrupt utility knife.

Step Four: Puncture

Have a framing hammer and knock a hole in the drywall that will let you to reach through to the other side. Make sure yous exercise this betwixt the studs, and below the cutline so that you lot're dissentious the drywall that y'all're going to remove anyway.

Step Five: Remove and Examination

Starting time, remove the plates from your electric outlets and pry off baseboard trim. Next, wearing gloves, attain into the hand hole and pull the drywall away from the studs. The first couple of bays will be difficult. Once you've opened a large surface area, utilise a flat bar, hammer, or a apartment-nosed shovel to pry the drywall abroad from the studs.

While you're doing this, check for dampness on the exterior walls. Get your hand in the insulation. Your goal here is to remove the drywall upwardly to the bespeak where the insulation is dry out, so that anything that gets damp is replaced. So if the insulation nevertheless feels wet where y'all fabricated your first cut line, make another test cut above the wall.

Note: Removal of electrical cable, outlets, and outlet boxes (and their replacement) should exist left to a licensed electrician.

Step Half dozen: Transport

Transport the debris exterior. The platonic is that you lot already have a Dumpster, dump truck, or garbage hauler so that you won't take to remove the debris twice. If that'southward not possible, pile the debris on the ground and cover it with a tarp to keep it from getting wetter and heavier. Weigh the tarp down or stake it in identify exercise it doesn't accident away.

Remember that drywall is heavy—especially waterlogged drywall. Simply there are several ways to move it. Ane is to slide it inside a tarp. Large chunks tin also be placed in a wheelbarrow or dropped into a plastic garbage can, which yous can slide out of the business firm or behave on a manus truck.

Whatever you practise, effigy out debris send before you cutting your kickoff slice of drywall and you'll accept an easier time overall.

Step Seven: Dispose of the Remainder

Cut abroad soggy fiberglass insulation and stuff it into contractor trash bags. Remove drywall screws by bankroll them out or snapping them off. Aforementioned goes for drywall nails.

Pace Viii: Ventilate

Fans speed evaporation and reduce the gamble of condensation forming inside walls and the formation of mold.

Post-Flood Installation

To put your walls back together after the flood, you lot'll need to have an electrician replace outlets and wiring, and peradventure the receptacle boxes as well. At PM, it's always been our view that a homeowner who does his or her homework is competent to practise basic electrical work, merely flood damage is a special case. Overflowing-damaged electrical materials should exist replaced by a pro, who can too evaluate the home's grounding and bonding organisation. Subsequently that'south done, you can move on to replacing the insulation you cut out and hanging new drywall.

To do that, cut each piece of replacement insulation so that information technology firmly butts against the piece in a higher place. Staple it in identify. Next, cut the replacement piece of drywall and screw it to the studs. Use 1 screw on each side of the joint (that is, one screw in the new drywall and one spiral on the older piece of drywall above). Spread taping compound on the seam and embed paper tape in the compound. Properly embedded paper tape is stiff and easy to apply. Strike off excess drywall compound with a 6 in. knife and let the chemical compound dry out. Sand off ridges and bumps before applying the next layers of compound.

For enough more than on installing drywall, bank check out our guides to doing it well and finishing it right.

Roy Berendsohn Senior Domicile Editor Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electric, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, backyard care, chainsaw utilise, and outdoor power equipment.

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