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Replacing base board trim on Plaster Walls.

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Replacing base board trim on Plaster Walls. Katie 07-23-2006
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Posted by Katie on July 23, 2006, 6:14 pm
I have a house that was built in 1930 and has all plaster walls. I
want to replace the trim on all of the walls since it has been painted
MANY times and no longer looks nice. I'm a little hesistant on pulling
the trim off of the walls since I have no idea what to expect behind
it. The trim now is about 6" high. Is it easy to remove the trim and
replace it? The walls are not exactly straight, so I worry that the
trim won't fit correctly. Do I need any special tools or equipment to
put up the trim?

Thanks.


Posted by Italian on July 23, 2006, 10:50 pm
Im not a plaster guy but Ive worked on plenty of houses that were in
your age range and generally there is a nail strip (a piece of wood
which the base board is nailed to) in the first few inches up from the
floor. As a precaution I would take a sharp utility knife and score all
the edges where it (the base board) meets the plaster then start slow
to remove the boards..good luck
Katie wrote:
> I have a house that was built in 1930 and has all plaster walls. I
> want to replace the trim on all of the walls since it has been painted
> MANY times and no longer looks nice. I'm a little hesistant on pulling
> the trim off of the walls since I have no idea what to expect behind
> it. The trim now is about 6" high. Is it easy to remove the trim and
> replace it? The walls are not exactly straight, so I worry that the
> trim won't fit correctly. Do I need any special tools or equipment to
> put up the trim?
>
> Thanks.


Posted by John Gilmer on July 23, 2006, 10:54 pm
If you are talking about the base board "trim" then it is possible to remove
it.

There usually is some 1/4 round between the base board and the floor.
Remove it first.

Use a magnet to find the nails and get a thin pry bar. If you only pry at
the nail then you will be working against the wall stud and you should not
do more than superficial damage to the plaster.

HOWEVER you might want to just re-finish the base board in place.

> I have a house that was built in 1930 and has all plaster walls. I
> want to replace the trim on all of the walls since it has been painted
> MANY times and no longer looks nice. I'm a little hesistant on pulling
> the trim off of the walls since I have no idea what to expect behind
> it. The trim now is about 6" high. Is it easy to remove the trim and
> replace it? The walls are not exactly straight, so I worry that the
> trim won't fit correctly. Do I need any special tools or equipment to
> put up the trim?


>
> Thanks.
>



Posted by RayV on July 24, 2006, 8:06 am

Katie wrote:
> I have a house that was built in 1930 and has all plaster walls. I
> want to replace the trim on all of the walls since it has been painted
> MANY times and no longer looks nice. I'm a little hesistant on pulling
> the trim off of the walls since I have no idea what to expect behind
> it. The trim now is about 6" high. Is it easy to remove the trim and
> replace it? The walls are not exactly straight, so I worry that the
> trim won't fit correctly. Do I need any special tools or equipment to
> put up the trim?
>
> Thanks.

As already said use a utility knife to score the top of the moldling.
get your self a wonder bar to pry the molding off.
http://tinyurl.com/gz559
Place a thin piece of wood behind the bar when prying to prevent
damaging the wall.
But...
Before you start any of this price out the molding you want. You may
need to go higher than 6" depending on how nicely the old stuff comes
off. 6" molding can be expensive esp. if you plan on staining it. If
you are going to paint it I would check out the MDF molding it is
flexible enough to conform to bowed walls.
You will also need these:
http://tinyurl.com/l5e67
http://tinyurl.com/zxfum


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