W
W
WALL
WORK
and you have the subfloor out,
check the “keyways” below you
(the plaster that squeezed
through the lath). If the plaster
chunks are broken off, you can
expect that the ceiling isn’t
hanging on by much. Dust. Seriously, the dust is
bad. At the minimum, you want
to sheet off the room you’re
demolishing with plastic sheeting. You also want to tape off
cold air returns and HVAC supplies in and around the room.
Again, this is a minimum. We
recommend shutting off the air
completely during plaster demo
and taping off the vents.
It has been common practice
to put a box fan in the window
and blow the dust outside. While
this works to a degree, it is no
longer allowed under RRP. Access. You need access in
and out of the work area.
Ironically, the access technique
shown in the RRP training is a
complete sieve. In order to
maintain reasonable egress you
may want to buy a product like
Zipwall or build your own plastic
shield, which is what we’ve
done. We basically fabricate a
screen door and install it on the
existing doorjamb. We sheet it
with plastic, which we cut a little
proud all the way around the
door. This forms a gasket when
Existing electrical needs to be
managed. The safest way is to
delete/de-energize it (or have
an electrician do it) before
starting demo. That way there’s
little chance you’ll drive your
wrecking bar into a live wire.
That said, electrical routed to
other parts of the home may
be present, so caution is key.
And, if this doesn’t signal the
word “permit” to you, it should.
Have this work inspected for
your own protection.
