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Demolition Of
Old Baths and Wall Surfaces
It is wisely said that destruction is much easier than
construction and much more messy too. Demolition of old
baths and ripping wall surfaces, cabinets, faucets and
fixture from that unwanted bathroom is not a job of much
skill but it certainly needs patience, hard labor and an
endurance to a lost of dust and debris! If you are
planning to tear out your old bathroom to replace it with
a new one, be careful enough to shut off all the water
supply pipes and disconnect electrical wiring carefully
before ripping out walls and flooring. It is also a good
idea to shut off all the drain and pipe outlets with rags
so that the debris does not cause plugging in them and
harmful sewer gases do not have a chance to leak into the
space. Here are some points to remember:
 To
remove a toilet tank and seat, turn off water and shut off
the water supply line. Then flush the toilet to empty the
tank. Soak the remaining water with sponge. Unscrew the
nuts and bolts anchoring the tank and seat to the wall and
floor respectively and be careful not to break it as you
lift it off. You may use it, resell it in junkyard or
garage sales or discard it completely if it is broken.
Stuff the drain with a rag.
Vanity
sinks can be removed by undoing the compression fittings
and the trap that connects it to the tailpipe and
drainpipe. Sponge off any water that is spilt and stuff a
rag in the drain. Turn off the water supplies, remove the
hot and cold water lines and you may need to unscrew the
nuts under the shut-off valves to remove the faucet. Pry
carefully to break the caulk seal holding the countertop.
For
countertops attached by screws to cabinet framing, pull
them off by unscrewing the nuts. You may need to pry them
off, if they are glued to the cabinet.
Cabinets
are often screwed via nailing strip to the wall and to
each other at the joints of their frames. Unscrew them all
to remove them.
A
bathtub usually has its flanges hidden behind wall
finishing and thus, can be removed fully only after the
demotion of walls. Removing clasps attaching it to the
wall studs and detaching tub drain tailpiece from the
trap, allows you to move the tub. If you do not want to
reuse the tub, an easy-way out is to break it into pieces.
Most
people prefer to use hammers to break and pry off old
ceramic tiles, drywall and plaster and you may saw off
vertical cuts between the studs and remove it in sections
to minimize hammering and resultant dust. However, be sure
to turn or shut off any electrical and water lines, test
them with continuity tester to check they are dead. Remove
them or tape them properly before you venture into
breaking walls and floors.
Cover
your eyes, ears, skin and nose properly to avoid dust and
debris from causing problems later.
Simply,
saw off the door jambs and nails from the door frames and
cut out any plastic or metal pipes to remove them. To fit
in a new piece of pipe, leave enough of the stub to fit a
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