Demolitions (how to remove a closet and trim)
There were several things we wanted changed that required a forceful hand. (some still to be changed)
First of all, there was a coat closet that was right in the way of the front door, so you basically would walk into the closet.
We thought that it'd look more open and modern without it there, plus we don't really use one anyway!
I would say we were pretty successful for two inexperienced people. Before doing anything, remove any and all trim and the door.
Step One: Locate the studs (the solid pieces of wood under the drywall) You do NOT want to swing into one of these. It will hurt. I totally didn’t learn this the hard way ;)
Step Two: Find and put on safety glasses, gloves, a mask, shoes, and preferably pants. Dust, debris, nails, splintered wood, sharp pieces of drywall, etc will fly everywhere. You don't want to breathe this in or get hit by it. I stepped on a couple of nails in the process and my wonderful Chaco flip-flops saved me. (But get something better than that)
Step Three: Now that you know where NOT to swing. Take your first couple hits into the drywall. It will give you a better idea of how to proceed.
Step Four: Once you get to the part that connects the closet to a wall stop (if you have this, we did). Grab a drill, utility knife, trim puller, and rubber mallet.
Step Five: Remove the studs using a drill and trim puller. Ours were connected in a way that this is all we needed.
Step Six: Use the utility knife to cut where the closet meets the wall as if you could actually just cut off the closet magically. Then, wedge the trim puller into the line using the rubber mallet to hit the back of the tool.
Step Seven: Pull the closet using the trim tool and knife until it's gone. You can fix the wall after it's off.
Step Eight: Clean the area and mud the walls in the spots that need filling. Let it dry overnight and sand it flush with the wall once it's fully dry.
The space after we knocked it out and mudded the holes.
I really thought ripping off and destroying things would be super fun and “therapeutic”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. It really just made me nervous about hurting the house (and myself).
*Rant Alert*
I love reflecting on things and exploring why things make me feel the way they do. So, while I was doing so, I figured that it parallels a lot to the idea of hurting someone because they hurt you or because you feel bad.
At some point in our lives, we have all thought about doing this or have done this. Saying something mean to someone because they said something mean to you, being snarky to someone because they had an attitude with you, whatever it may be.
How did it make you feel?
Bad right? Even if you don’t want to admit it? Same.
Walking away really is better, and even if we don’t want to, being the bigger person is better. Even if it doesn’t feel like it in that moment, wait a few days, weeks, months, or even years. Eventually, you will be proud of yourself for walking away or being the bigger person. I know I am, even if it did take a long time to feel good about it.
My Mom has said to me “hurt people hurt people”. She’s right. So instead of hurting somebody, figure out why you are hurt first and what you can do to work through it. A lot of the time, for me, that is just sitting with my emotions and purposefully feeling them.
And you can always address the person who hurt you in a mature and calm manner. You know what DOES feel therapeutic? Letting the person who hurt you know that they hurt you. Being the bigger person doesn’t always mean shutting up and walking away. You are entitled to your emotions just as much as everyone else.
*End of Rant*
So, long story short, if you are hoping that this is going to be fun and therapeutic, it might, but it also might not be.
Lastly, the trim was super easy. You will need the trim puller and rubber mallet again. These might be my new favorite tools. All you need to do is stick the trim pulling tool onto the crack where the trim meets the wall and hammer it in. Then you just pull! I repeated this throughout the whole house and I can’t wait to see if my hard work paid off once the new trim is on.
This did strain my back a little bit so take it easy if you get hurt fast like I do! My list of tools and gear is below!
The next thing we are tackling is flooring!
But for now, here are all the tools we used.
Our Tools:
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A really cool stud finder or a just as good regular one
Safety Glasses: The ones we got had no rubber part like this one does. Not having it made my head hurt more than I thought it would
Rubber Mallet: Don’t get one too light. Having some weight behind it really helps you get the trim puller in there.
Drill and Drill Bits: We previously had a cheaper one and got this as a wedding present. I really didn’t think I was going to notice any difference since I hardly ever use it, but I did.
Safety Gloves Small and Large: These things are AMAZING. I can’t even tell you how many sharp things I have straight up grabbed with these on. Also, I have pretty small “feminine” hands and the small fits me great.
