Removing a non-load bearing wall






The first thing I did when I moved into the house, before I moved my furniture in because I knew it would be a mess, was removing the wall between the "den" and the living room.  

Disclaimer: the only reason I knew it was safe to attempt this and the wall was non-load bearing is because every other house on the street was built the same way and this wall was added by a previous owner.  It was still framed as a cutout with drywall in the middle.  Don't attempt to remove any wall that you are unsure if it is load bearing.

This was my first ever DIY attempt at anything, and I did not go about it well.  I should have bought the proper tools, but instead, I demolished the wall with nothing other than a hand saw I purchased from Dollar Tree and a razor blade.  


First I cut into the drywall with the razor to look inside and see what I was working with.  It was nothing more than a couple of 2x4s to hold the drywall in place, so I used the saw/razor blade to remove the drywall.  I cut through the 2x4s with the saw.  

I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't use any plastic on the floor to help with cleanup, which was a big mistake.  It took months to fully clean the floor from all the dust and debris.

Once all of the wall was removed, I used small drywall panels and plastic corner bead, to finish the trim.  This was also my first time "mudding" drywall.  I found that adding some water to the mud allowed it to spread a lot more consistently.  Once that was dry, I sanded and painted and it was done. 

The end result was great, it allowed light to flow from the front windows into the living area and completely changed the flow of the first floor. 


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