Ok so I removed staple up ceiling tiles at my place upstate and I'm starting to work on hanging drywall. The biggest problem is how difficult it has been to remove the furring strips. I'm currently on a ladder using a hammer and pry bar and it's taking forever. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to make this easier?
Tricks for removing furring strips from ceiling
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nealtw
Contractor retired
The trick is to find anything at hand that will do something easier than what you are doing.
A 2x4 that you can use while standing on the floor and prying or a big goose neck bar you can use like a hammer, knocking it down or what have you.
A 2x4 that you can use while standing on the floor and prying or a big goose neck bar you can use like a hammer, knocking it down or what have you.
slownsteady
Well-Known Member
Neal's on track. A longer bar gives you more leverage.
slownsteady
Well-Known Member
ba-dum,bum!
joecaption
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To bad you spent the time taking down the old ceiling, could have gone right over it with new drywall using longer screws.
I'm with bud on this one, why are you removing them?
I'm with bud on this one, why are you removing them?
The old tiles (which were in poor shape) were shimmed poorly with cardboard (because the furring strips weren't level despite the joists being fine. Perhaps I should/could have attached the drywall to the strips, but that ship has sailed a this point.
I guess I'm going to pick up a 48" wrecking bar and see what I can do with that.
nealtw
Contractor retired
All goose neck crowbars will do that, just like a nail bar. I think it is the 300 times up the ladder and working over head that is the killer and if it anything like old doug fir nails are hard to pull.
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joecaption
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There is an old time tool called a “Froe” that is not used much anymore, but the technique of froeing I use quite a bit with a flat bar pry tool (wonder bar) for doing stuff like this and I thought I would share the method. Here are two links to help explain what I do.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-21-in-Wonder-Bar-x-21-Pry-Bar-55-526/203853335
http://www.leevalley.com/us/shopping/Instructions.aspx?p=67296
most people drive the wonder bar under the nail head and try and pull the nail. In the case of the OP you drive the wonder bar under the strip of wood next to the nail a few inches over. This will most likely start pulling the nail, but in the case of plaster it might not work as well unless you slip something like a drywall trowel in between the plaster to spread the load. Then instead of rocking the wonder bar as you would think you push on it 90 degrees to the rocker in a froeing manner. Once the nail starts out you move close and work your way down the strip.
I do this a lot with a thin wonder bar for removing trim work from windows and such.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-21-in-Wonder-Bar-x-21-Pry-Bar-55-526/203853335
http://www.leevalley.com/us/shopping/Instructions.aspx?p=67296
most people drive the wonder bar under the nail head and try and pull the nail. In the case of the OP you drive the wonder bar under the strip of wood next to the nail a few inches over. This will most likely start pulling the nail, but in the case of plaster it might not work as well unless you slip something like a drywall trowel in between the plaster to spread the load. Then instead of rocking the wonder bar as you would think you push on it 90 degrees to the rocker in a froeing manner. Once the nail starts out you move close and work your way down the strip.
I do this a lot with a thin wonder bar for removing trim work from windows and such.
