How to Knock Down Brick Walls

By James McElroy Updated September 26, 2017

With home improvement projects, often you must demolish old structures to create space to build new ones. When you must knock down a brick wall, you may not know where to start. But the demolition of brick walls doesn't need to be an imposing home improvement project. With careful preparation and some basic tools, you can knock down an old brick wall to make room for something new.

With proper preparation, you can safely knock down a brick wall.

Prepare your work site. Lay tarps below the wall to catch the bricks and debris as they fall and make your cleanup easier. If you are working inside, consider laying foam mats under the tarps to protect your floors, and sealing the room to protect the rest of the house from dust.

Safety glasses will help protect you from flying pieces of brick and mortar.

Don your safety equipment. Wear safety glasses and a dust mask to protect you from flying shards of debris and dust. Wear gloves and long-sleeved clothes for extra protection.

Remove the top course of bricks using a hammer and cold chisel. Finish the entire row before starting the next to avoid destabilizing the wall.

Repeat step 3 until you have completely knocked down you brick wall.

Things You Will Need

Tarp
Safety glasses
Dust mask
Hammer
Cold chisel

Tip

If you encounter wall ties attached to your brick wall, use a claw hammer to detach them from the wall.

Warnings

Never take down multiple rows of brick at once or start at the bottom of the wall, which could destabilize the structure.
Consult a contractor or engineer before you knock it down if your brick wall supports part of your house.

References

Custom Built Masonry: The Mason Pro's Corner

About the Author

James McElroy began his journalism career in 2001 and his stories have appeared in newspapers around the world, including "The Columbus Dispatch" and "The Star-Ledger." He studied journalism at the E.W. Scripps Graduate School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Photo Credits

sloppy brick wall image by Jeffrey Sinnock from Fotolia.com
Helmet image by Hedgehog from Fotolia.com