Cost & hiring
Removing old drywall and plaster: weight, dumpsters and asbestos
Tear-outs are quick and heavy. The planning is mostly about weight, and, in older homes, one test before the first swing.
First: test older materials
Joint compound, textures and some plasters applied before about 1980 may contain asbestos. In a house of that age, have samples of the compound, any texture, and the plaster tested by an accredited lab before demolition. If a sample is positive, the US EPA’s guidance and your state’s rules apply, and removal is usually work for a licensed abatement contractor. Painted surfaces from before 1978 may contain lead, which needs lead-safe work practices.
This page covers the planning of an ordinary tear-out. It does not cover asbestos or lead procedures.
Weight is the whole story
| Material | Weight per sq ft of wall |
|---|---|
| 1/2 in drywall | about 1.6 lb |
| 5/8 in drywall | about 2.2 lb |
| Plaster on wood lath | about 8 lb (our estimate) |
| Plaster on metal lath or block | heavier still, variable |
Drywall weights are manufacturer figures; plaster varies with its thickness and the lath, and 8 lb per square foot is the site’s estimate. A plaster tear-out weighs about five times as much as the same area of drywall, and that is what decides the dumpster, the cost and the number of people.
What it costs
Consumer cost guides put drywall tear-out with haul-away at about $1 to $3 per sq ft, a wide spread that reflects access, debris handling and disposal fees; plaster and lath cost more. The site prices plaster at 1.75 times drywall.
Two 400 sq ft tear-outs
- 1/2 in drywall: about 640 lb of debris, $400 – $1,200 by a contractor, about 4 hours DIY, one 10-yard dumpster
- Plaster on wood lath: about 3,200 lb, 1.6 tons, $700 – $2,100, about 7 hours DIY, one 10-yard dumpster near its weight limit
The removal cost calculator prices it and weighs the debris.
Choosing the dumpster
Dumpsters are rented by size in cubic yards but each comes with a weight allowance, typically about 2 tons for a 10-yard up to 5 tons for a 40-yard, with a charge per ton over it. Drywall, and plaster above all, reach the weight limit before the bin looks full. Broken board also bulks up: loose, it takes about four times its solid volume.
Two tear-outs, two dumpsters
- 2,200 sq ft of 1/2 in drywall with 4 cu yd and half a ton of other debris: 4,520 lb (2.26 tons) and 17.6 cu yd. A 20-yard dumpster; a 10-yard is too heavy and a 15-yard too small.
- 1,200 sq ft of plaster and lath: 9,600 lb (4.8 tons) and about 22 cu yd. Only a 40-yard dumpster’s typical allowance takes it; two 20-yard loads swapped halfway may cost less.
The dumpster size calculator sizes it by weight and volume, whichever limits first.
Ask the hauler for their allowances; they vary. Some areas recycle clean gypsum and ban it from landfill, which changes how it is sorted.
Doing the work
- Turn off and verify the power to every circuit in the walls; remove cover plates and fixtures.
- Shut off and locate plumbing in the walls before swinging a bar.
- Seal the room: plastic over doorways and HVAC registers, HVAC off.
- Wear protection: a respirator, eye protection, gloves, long sleeves, boots.
- Score and pull: drywall comes off in pieces by punching a hole and pulling, or cutting along studs with an oscillating tool. Plaster is broken with a hammer and pried off the lath, then the lath is pried off the studs.
- Pull or drive all fasteners before new board goes on.
- Bag or carry debris straight to the dumpster; plaster in contractor bags is heavy, so fill them half full.
Plaster is dusty and heavy work; plan for more people and more time than drywall. Once the walls are open, check the framing, wiring, plumbing and insulation while they are easy to reach; a tear-out is the cheapest moment to fix them.
Overlay instead of removal
Covering old plaster or a popcorn ceiling with new 1/4 in or 1/2 in drywall, screwed through to the framing, is often cheaper than removal and avoids disturbing old materials. It adds thickness at window and door casings and at outlets, which need box extenders. The guide to drywall textures covers popcorn specifically.
The new board
Once the old is out, the new board comes in by the same doors and stairs, and weighs as much. The sheet weight calculator and the delivery planner help plan it, and the guide to drywall weight and handling covers stairs and storage. Whether to put back drywall or veneer plaster is weighed in the guide to drywall vs veneer plaster.
Common mistakes
- Demolition before testing in a pre-1980 house.
- Choosing the dumpster by volume. Weight governs.
- Live circuits in the wall.
- Full contractor bags of plaster. Too heavy to lift safely.
- Leaving nails in the studs. They keep new board from lying flat.