Plaster ceilings can become discolored over time due to changing humidity or rainwater damage. In these cases, the plaster ceiling must be pulled down and replaced. In other instances, updating a room or the entire house calls for updating the ceiling as well. In any case, taking down a plaster ceiling is more about hands-on demolition than finesse. You need common hand tools to remove a plaster ceiling.
Instructions
1. Empty the room completely of furnishings and home decor. Falling plaster may damage possessions left in the room as the ceiling comes down.
2. Turn off all electricity to the room before beginning in order to avoid electrical shock while taking down the ceiling. Open the windows in the room to improve air circulation and ventilation. As you take down the plaster ceiling, much dust and debris will be dislodged.
3. Place drop cloths over the floor where you plan to begin your plaster ceiling demolition. Set a ladder or step-stool on top of the drop cloth and put on safety glasses, gloves and a dust mask. Roll a wheelbarrow into the room to toss in pieces of the ceiling as it is demolished.
4. Start in the corner farthest from the room's entryway. Hammer a large hole into the plaster ceiling to expose the lathe and rafters. Insert a claw bar into the opening and wedge it between the lathe slats and rafters. Pull downward to begin taking the plaster ceiling down, throwing the sections into the wheelbarrow.
5. Continue from the far corner of the room to the doorway, pulling plaster down with the claw bar. When possible, pull down large dislodged sections by hand. Empty the wheelbarrow as necessary into a dumpster.
6. Pry all exposed nails out of the ceiling with a hammer or claw bar once the lathe and plaster is taken down. Pull up the drop cloths and sweep and vacuum the floor.
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