# Tricks for removing furring strips from ceiling



## aNYCdb

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?


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## bud16415

If they are spaced right and level I would attach the drywall to them.


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## nealtw

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.


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## slownsteady

Neal's on track. A longer bar gives you more leverage.


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## bud16415

slownsteady said:


> Neal's on track. A longer bar gives you more leverage.



Here is one i got some leverage at.


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## slownsteady

ba-dum,bum!


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## joecaption

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?


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## aNYCdb

joecaption said:


> 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?



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.


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## bud16415

Are they nailed or screwed? 

Nails shouldn&#8217;t pull that hard. They make a wrecking bar for pulling nails that digs in under the head and then lever the nail out.


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## nealtw

bud16415 said:


> Are they nailed or screwed?
> 
> Nails shouldnt pull that hard. They make a wrecking bar for pulling nails that digs in under the head and then lever the nail out.



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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## bud16415

This style also work great.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CKAR4Q/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## joecaption

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vestil-S...2587&wl11=online&wl12=159668380&wl13=&veh=sem


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## bud16415

There is an old time tool called a &#8220;Froe&#8221; 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.


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