On Oct 15, 7:22*am, "Dave" wrote:

And even if it is not a load bearing wall, should you still "prop up" the
ceiling thereabouts before working on replacing it?

Wife and I are considering replacing the wall between the kitchen and living
room, as it has had a slow leak for some time, and the sill plate for that
wall is thereby compromised and moldy. *Have already removed the sheetrock
on the kitchen side and sprayed all with 10% bleach-water, which seems to
have killed the mold, but the studs ands sill plate are still severely
compromised. *Want to replace that whole wall, but don't want to start
something I can't finish or compromise the integrity of the house itself.
Would really appreciate some comments from someone in the know here. *Would
like to consult a specialist, but don't know where to look for such or who
to look for.

Thanks much,

Dave

PS: fixed the leak, BTW, and everything is now dry. *It just doesn't look
some something I want to leave in place...

Sounds like you're going about it in the right way, and I'm glad
you're asking questions beforehand. You'd be amazed how many times
people get hip deep into trouble and then start asking questions.

It's not solely a question of whether it's a bearing wall or not. If
you have a tiled bathroom on the second floor, removing a wall that is
not technically a bearing wall could cause things to settle and crack
tile.

As far as determining if it's a bearing wall or not, poke some holes
in the ceiling on either side of the all - they don't have to be big -
and see which way the joists run. If they cross over the wall in
question it probably is a bearing wall. You can also check in the
basement (if you don't have one you can skip this step!) and see if
there is a beam supported by posts under that wall, or if the floor
joist under that wall is a single or not. If it's a double joist, it
might be a bearing wall, if it's a triple it definitely is.

Shoring up the ceiling on either side of the wall can't hurt, but it
might not be necessary. Do your homework and see what the framing
indicates, then, if you want a test to see what load that wall is
under, cut one stud with a reciprocating saw. If the saw blade binds
when the cut is almost all the way through - I mean really grabs the
blade, then it's under load regardless of whether it was designed as a
bearing wall or not and it would be wise to support the load above.

R