One of the most dangerous and dusty jobs is the dismantling of walls. To perform, you will need construction tools, the choice of which depends on the material of construction. Before carrying out work, the walls must be de-energized (the location of the wiring can be found in the project). In an apartment, all this can be done on your own, but on a large scale, you should trust the professionals.
Wall types
Walls can take different loads. Those that carry only their own weight are called non-load-bearing (partitions). Structures that take additional loads (from walls, ceilings, roofs) are called load-bearing.
The dismantling of load-bearing walls is usually performed when the building is completely destroyed. In some cases, individual elements are demolished, but this must be done correctly. With the wrong approach, the integrity of the building is violated. Partitions are simpler - they do not support important structures, so they can be removed and moved to different places.
Also, walls can be divided into types depending on the type of material. They are: stone (brick, concrete, foam concrete), wooden,drywall, glass, combined.
Types of dismantling
The dismantling of walls is often carried out in the process of dismantling entire buildings. In this case, work can be carried out in two ways: phased dismantling of the building or its complete demolition. The first option involves the phased destruction of the wall. Complete demolition of a building is a more labor-intensive and time-consuming process. In this case, special construction equipment is used, which quickly destroys the building. It should be remembered that such work is carried out after obtaining all the necessary permits and documents.
The dismantling of walls can also be done in two ways: complete destruction or careful disassembly. The first option is suitable for stone structures, the second for drywall. Disassembled items can be moved and reassembled elsewhere.
Brick walls
Before performing work, you need to remove all furniture, turn off and remove all engineering networks, clear openings. Also, trim is torn off the walls: skirting boards, wallpaper, paint and plaster are removed.
The dismantling of brick walls can be done in a quick way or done in stages. The quick option involves the use of a percussion tool, and leads to complete destruction. Staged dismantling of structures is carried out manually - as a result, the material can be reused.
Manual dismantling is carried out if the brick was laid on lime or a small amount of cement. In the work they use a sledgehammer, crowbar or pickaxe. Work is carried out from top to bottom, with the first bricks knocked out from the top row (at the junction of the wall and ceiling). If the bricks are difficult to pull out, steel wedges can be used. They are hammered into the solution until cracks appear in it. Bricks laid on a particularly strong mortar can only be removed with special tools.
Quick dismantling of brick walls is carried out if there is no need to save the material for future use. Work is carried out with a grinder or a pneumatic pistol. In difficult cases, you will need a puncher.
In the process of disassembling brick structures, it is important to follow some rules:
- If there is an opening in the wall (window or door), then the jumper is first dismantled.
- You can cut steel anchors with a sledgehammer, grinder and chisel.
- For partial dismantling, use a grinder with a diamond nozzle (allows you to make an even cut).
Concrete walls
To begin with, wires, sockets, switches are removed from the structure. Also remove the doors from the hinges and remove the box. To protect the floor from damage, the coating is removed from it and boards are laid in its place.
After the preparatory work is completed, the dismantling of the concrete walls can begin. For this you will need:
- Mark cut lines on the structure. As a result, it will be divided into squares 400x400 mm.
- On each line, drill holes every 30-40 mm (work is carried out from top to bottom).
- Cut out a square:pass between the holes with a circular saw with a diamond wheel. If the wall is thick, then the cuts are made on both sides.
- Carefully knock out the square element so that it does not fall to the floor.
- Repeat the procedure for each cell of the concrete wall until complete destruction.
In the process, it is recommended to use a construction vacuum cleaner, goggles and gloves.
Aerated concrete walls
In this case, preparatory work is also carried out: all furniture is removed (or covered), damp cloth is hung in doorways, windows are covered with film. The issue of electricity is also being resolved, skirting boards and trim are removed.
The dismantling of a wall of foam blocks is carried out in almost the same way as for brick structures. The only problem is with the softness of the material. For work with foam blocks, a sledgehammer is ideal. She should not hit the walls hard - a light blow is enough, which will break the connection between neighboring blocks. As soon as at least one element begins to stagger, it is carefully removed.
Gypsum walls
Only partitions are made from gypsum boards, so you don’t need to take a work permit to parse them. A great advantage of the material is the possibility of its reuse. In this case, it is important to correctly dismantle the walls from drywall: remove the finish, unfasten and remove the sheets, disassemble the metal frame.
So, to begin with, the decoration is removed from the wall (wallpaper,tiles, etc.) After that, they find the attachment points, clean them and unscrew all the screws with a drill (screwdriver). GKL is usually attached to a wooden crate with nails, which are removed with a mount. The profile is detached from suspensions, guide profiles installed on the floor and ceiling. One of the frame elements is released from fasteners and removed from the structure. After that, you can move on to the next part of the frame.
Wooden walls
It is very easy to dismantle wooden walls if they do not bear any load. The demolition of such buildings as a log house is considered more time-consuming. To begin with, the same preparatory work is performed as described above. Then you need to stock up on the necessary tools: a nail puller, a hacksaw, an ax.
Disassembly begins with the removal of baseboards and trim, and then the wooden frame is disassembled (starts from the top). Sometimes there is such that the tree is plastered. Then you need to take a hammer and beat off all the plaster. To reduce dust, the surface should be well moistened. The next stage of work is sawing and removing the spacers. The voids remaining in other structures can be filled with cement mortar. If a wooden wall carries a load from higher structures, then this must be taken into account. You will most likely need to install spacers.
Glass Partitions
Glass partitions should be cleaned carefully and only by specialists, since there are some difficulties when working with glass. Dismantling of walls from thismaterial can be done in two ways. If there is no need to preserve the structure, then it is demolished with a sledgehammer. The second method of dismantling is element-by-element disassembly, which is carried out by specialists using modern tools. First, the seals are removed, the double-glazed windows and the frame itself are removed. This option is more painstaking and costly, unlike the first method, therefore it is performed by professionals.
Dismantling works will help to make redevelopment or replace a collapsing structure. It should be remembered that any major changes to the premises must be coordinated with the competent authorities. You can do all the work (for example, connecting a loggia to a room) on your own, but only specialists guarantee their fast and high-quality implementation.
