DIY demolition tips you need to know

If you’re looking to cut through sheet metal, grab a pair of snips. Snips will come in handy if you’re working on replacing old HVAC ducts.

After you’ve bashed the studs out of place, use a reciprocating saw to slice off the nails that held them down. Even if you’re not planning to reuse the plates, it’s a good way to avoid stepping on a nail. Make sure you use a bimetal saw blade; it’ll slice right through the nails.

When breaking up a concrete slab, stop flying chunks of shrapnel with a sheet of plastic. Jagged chunks of concrete can damage siding and break windows, and it’s a real chore to clean up.

Rent a skip with a gate so you can dump wheelbarrows full of concrete or other debris inside. Tossing chunks over the side is hard work.

Remove a door jamb from its opening with a reciprocating saw by cutting the jamb’s finish nails. This also works with window jambs. Grip the boot firmly when you can’t rest the pivoting shoe against the jamb.

There seems to be no end of odd jobs that can be done with an oscillating tool, and here’s another one: If you have to remove a section of damaged drywall, cut it out with a multitool equipped with a half-moon blade. The tool will cut almost as fast as you can pull it. And because the oscillations on the blade are so short and the teeth are so fine, the tool creates half the dust of a reciprocating or keyhole saw. Plus, the recess you cut will be much straighter and cleaner, making the patching work much easier.

Wear a hard hat or helmet to protect your head any time you’re working with heavy objects that could fall from above. A hard hat should be worn any time you’re doing any tree maintenance such as trimming or cutting.

Measure out 25cm from the wall and score the vinyl flooring with a utility knife. Then repeat scoring every 25cm all the way across the room. Steer a power scraper down the scored swath and let it do all the work. Let the stripped vinyl roll up in front of the scraper blade if you’re doing kitchen demolition work or bathroom renovations.

A sledge can be surprisingly effective in breaking up a concrete slap to about 10cm thick, more manageable pieces. Give it a try first, before moving on to heavier rental equipment.

A rented jackhammer powered by a big compressor is the best option for large or thick slabs of concrete.