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How to remove and replace baseboards?

How to remove and replace baseboards?

Beautiful rooms are adorned with baseboards at the junction of the wall and the floor. In addition to prettifying rooms, baseboards also offer protection to the drywall at the bottom from getting damaged because of potential buildups of dirt, molds, and mildews.

Baseboards are meant to create a seamless transition between the wall and the floor. Because of their neat, aesthetic look, they render an ultra-modern touch to the interiors of your home. But how to replace baseboards if they wear down over time and start looking ugly?

The removal and replacement job of a baseboard take the following materials and tools into consideration.

  • Materials
  • Baseboards
  • Construction adhesive
  • Drop cloth
  • Earplugs
  • Latex caulk
  • Painter’s tape
  • Rags
  • Safety glasses
  • Semi-gloss interior paint
  • Wood scrap

The following tools are required to accomplish the job.

  • Compound saw
  • Finish nails
  • Hammer
  • Measuring tape
  • Nail gun
  • Paintbrush
  • Pencil
  • Pry bar
  • Putty knife
  • Stud finder
  • Utility knife

Read on to gain an understanding of the steps that you need to follow to remove an old baseboard and replace it with a new one.

Additional read: What are Baseboards? Types of Material & Styles and Designs 

Step 1

In this initial step, the old baseboard is gently taken out. Make sure the floor or the adjoining drywall is not damaged. Before you remove the baseboard, get the floor adjacent to the wall covered with a dry cloth for the purpose of offering protection. Also prior to getting the baseboard pried off, make a cut along the top portion of the baseboard to slightly loosen it.

Use a utility knife for this purpose and make certain you really cut through rather than simply sliding the knife along. This will prevent the drywall paper to come off together with the baseboard while prying it off.

Step 2

At the end of step 1, you will find the baseboard top portion separated from the wall. Now, the time is to completely take it off from the wall. To do this, you have to take the help of a putty knife and hammer.

Strike down the putty knife along the space between the baseboard and wall with the hammer. Pry the baseboard off softly from the wall. This will loosen it more. Make sure you don’t attempt in removing the baseboard before loosening it. This might cause damage to the floor and wall.

Step 3

After the baseboard is made slack, you can use a pry bar to take it out of the wall completely. See to it that the pry bar is offered enough support. A piece of scrap wood can be placed between the wall and pry bar.

Make sure there is no damage done to the drywall. Now you can remove the nails with which the baseboard was fixed. Use a hammer to do it. Ensure you collect all the nails and keep them together in a safe place.

Step 4

Once the baseboard is totally removed, scrape off its stray pieces and chunks that are still clung to the drywall. For this purpose, you can make use of a putty knife. To reinstall a new baseboard, it’s necessary to start with a clean slate. Check and ensure the drywall surface is smooth before going ahead with the installation of the new baseboard.

Step 5

In this step, you need to find out the exact length and breadth requirements of the new baseboard. To do this you also need to measure the dimension of the room. The lower part of the wall may also have power outlets or HVAC wall vents.

It is important that while installing the new baseboard these elements shouldn’t be affected. During this step, you also need to find the studs that are positioned inside the drywall. This can be achieved with the help of a stud finder. This will simplify the process of placing the baseboard while nailing it to the studs.

Step 6

Put the baseboard in place along the wall and get its position fixed firmly. See to it you determine the correct position where to place the baseboard. The baseboard can be attached with a nail gun on the wall into the studs starting from the corner.

Sometimes clients may request joining two separate baseboards along a single wall. If that’s the case, you need to make an angled cut to join them. The angled cut helps eliminate the formation of any gawky space between the two different baseboards.

Step 7

During this step, you need to apply a caulk line for sealing the top portion of the baseboard. Caulking is crucial as it prevents the accumulation of molds and mildews. It also lessens the probability of the baseboard to get loose. The caulk you apply must be crisp and clean. Here a painter’s tape can come to your use.

You have to do the taping on the top portion of the baseboard adjacent to the drywall. Make sure the caulk is evenly applied all through the baseboard before removing the tape. This will create a clean, neatly defined trim line. Once this process is thru, get any unwanted caulk cleaned up with the help of a rag.

Step 8

After putting both the caulk and trim in place the baseboard needs to be garnished with the application of a semi-gloss paint coating. Why only semi-gloss paint? This is because it offers more resistance to a dirt buildup. Besides, such paints can be more easily cleaned.

Cost estimate

The cost of the whole operation of removal and replacement is conditional on the baseboard quality and the current market prices of the materials used in the course. The approximate total outlay can vary anything between $330 and $350.

Conclusion

So by now, you must have become a tad more familiar with the process to remove and replace baseboards. Not only do baseboards make the appearance of your rooms more charming but also they provide extra strength and resilience to their walls.

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