A crowbar will make removing a plaster ceiling fairly easy.
Whether you're tearing out the plaster ceiling because you are remodeling and want to leave the ceiling with exposed beams or because the plaster is severely cracked and damaged, prepare to get dirty. Removing a plaster ceiling is a filthy, dusty job. However, the good news is that it only requires a crowbar and some safety gear. And since you're tearing out the plaster on the ceiling, the job is much less strenuous than tearing out a wall, since you'll have gravity on your side.
Instructions
1. Put on a dust mask and safety goggles.
2. Position a ladder in one corner of the room, leaving it a few feet from the wall. When standing on top of the ladder, you should be able to reach over the top of the ladder and touch the corner of the ceiling with the crowbar.
3. Use the straight end of the crowbar to punch a hole in the corner of the ceiling. The hole needs to be big enough so you can get the curved end of the crowbar in the hole.
4. Place the curved end of the crowbar in the hole and grip the lath behind the plaster, then pull down. By using this method, you'll be able to remove the plaster and lath in one step. Pull gently on the lath to try to keep the wood in one piece, which will make it easier to pull down. Using too much force will snap the thin pieces of lath.
5. Work your way from one end of the ceiling to the other until you have an entire row of the ceiling removed. Next, start another row, and continue until the entire ceiling is removed.
6. Remove any nails that are still in the beams by using the curved end of the crowbar to pry them out.
Tags: curved crowbar, plaster ceiling, ceiling removed, ceiling with, corner ceiling