Home remodeling and renovation can be extremely rewarding, especially if you’re able to do it yourself. Whether you plan to live in or flip the house you remodel is up to you, but either way, you’ll need to get your hands a little dirty. Demolition is a key aspect of home renovation. It’s out with the old and in with the new, after all. Demolition can also be dangerous if you haven’t done it before or don’t know what to do. We’re going to give you some tips for a safe DIY demolition job so that you can get through this messy process unscathed.
Wear Protective Clothing and Equipment
There’s no such thing as being too safe when it comes to demolition. You’ll have lots of things that can hurt you lying around near you as you work, so you need to take proper precautions. Here are some of the most important pieces of protective gear you should have on you:
- Thick-soled work boots to protect your feet from ground debris
- Clothing that covers your body to protect you from scrapes and scratches
- A breathing mask to keep you from breathing in airborne dust and particulates
- Safety goggles to protect your eyes
- A hardhat for doing demolition above your head
Understand Your Tools
It can be easy to think of demolition as simple destruction, but one of our tips for a safe DIY demolition job is to understand how to use your tools effectively. Crowbars, sledgehammers, claw hammers—all of these seem like simple tools. But you must use them correctly to save yourself a lot of trouble and prevent injury. Power tools are also useful but require more care to operate, especially if you’re working around other people.
Check First Before Demolishing
Before you demolish anything, whether it’s a wall, a countertop, a cabinet, you should always check that you won’t hit anything else that may be behind or inside of it. What looks to be simple drywall may hide pipes or wires, and you don’t want to damage these accidentally while working. Obviously, you should shut off your water and electricity. However, you can still cause more damage than you want by failing to inspect things before you start demolishing them.
Keep Your Work Area Clear
A lot of accidents happen simply because the work area isn’t clear. You’ll create lots of debris and trash, and it’s important to have a plan for disposing of it. You’ll most likely need a roll-off dumpster for your demolition debris, so calculate the amount of debris you expect to make before beginning demolition. A clear work area is a much safer one, so don’t get too complacent with cleaning up.
