How to get rid of a cinder block wall????

Sep 23, 2007 33 Replies

How would you demo a small cinderblock wall? It's about 20 cinderblocks long, not attached to anything except to a section of wall I want - but there's a crack between the section I want to take out and the section I want, so that may be fine. It's about 3 cinderblocks high, the bottom cinderblock was apparently halfway buried in the ground as a footer. It's mortared. I don't know if it has any metal reinforcement, it probably doesn't need any.



Laura


Sledgehammer, masonry chisel, spud bar, brute strength.

Saftey glasses, and gloves to protect the manicure.

-- Oren

"If things get any worse, I'll have to ask you to stop helping me."

The car idea was good. But the male way would be a sledge hammer.

s

The simple way. Just start picking blocks off of it. A couple bumps with the end of a 2x4 or 2x6 will usually loosen the mortar. Now if the cores were poured you might have to do some beating on it with a sledge hammer. Mortar is more of an 'evener' than a 'glue',

Harry K

Preferably someone else's car.

Three Mexicans from you local Home Depot and it will be down and in your dumpster in an hour.

If cinder blocks reasonably clean keep them or give them to someone who can use them. We always have a few lying around here. Very useful as extra blocks under if/when working on a car etc. In some areas just stack em outside near the sidewalk and they'll be gone in the morning! In windy condtions a cinder block or two hung on ropes can hold down a tarpaulin over a roof etc. Keep a few anyway.

Real cinder blocks do not make good makeshift jackstands, countless redneck jokes notwithstanding. It's rare, but possible that they may crumble under the concentrated weight of a car frame sitting on them, which would be bad if you happened to be underneath the car at the time and still inconvenient even if you weren't.

nate

I suppose it could happen, but I've seen cars on cinder blocks, in someone's front yard, for DECADES and the blocks haven't crumbled yet.

Probably will sit many more decades. OTOH, a block that was sledged out of a wall may not be quite as strong or can have stress cracks in it. I'd not trust my life to it.

Some folks have mistakenly/wrongly placed or stacked blocks on their side. They should collapse; almost immediately with a car lowered to the block.

Front yard cars for decades are called "yard ornaments" :)

-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"

Some items to try:

Car bumper sledge hammer jack hammer large chisels and points concrete saw pry bar shovel pick stout chain and 4wd truck hand grinder to cut rebar

Depending on how it was put in, removal will require some combination of the above items.

Might be a piece of cake; might be a real MOFO.

Steve

I haven't seem a real cider block in 50 years in my region. Do they still make the things?

Hi,

I think a sledge hammer would do the trick. An you could certianly do it for sections of wall far away from the remaining bit of wall you want. If you want a nice clean cut, you can rent a grinder cutter and cut your way through it. This would give you a very nice clean cut. May be over kill though. The other way would be to chisel small chunks off at a time. To help you you can rent a demolition hammer. These are like smaller versions of the ones you see "roadies" use to digg cut ashpalt roads with. They are electric powered and come in smaller lighter sizes.

For a 3 block high wall, I think a cold chisle and hammer would probablly do you though. Should not take too long even at small chunks at a time.

Best, Mike.

"Cider" blocks are as rare as hens teeth.

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

You are *kidding* right? Only a complete idiot would put cinder blocks under a car when working on it...

on 9/24/2007 7:05 PM PeterD said the following:

Everyone knows only orange crates should be used under a car when working on it.

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