One of the most tedious/important steps of installing our hardwood flooring was the removal of our baseboards on the entire main level of our home. We got quite good at it by the end, but we also learned a few lessons along the way. Hopefully these tips can save you some time if you are tackling a similar project.
Before we get into our 7 tips, check out how easy it is to remove baseboards quickly and easily.
As you can see, if you have the right tools, the job is quite simple. That brings me to tip #1.
Tip #1: Get the right tools before you begin. I promise this will save you time and heartache.
You need: a box knife, a heavy duty chisel, and a hammer.
Tip #2: Buy several replacement blades for your box knife. It will be worth every penny. I promise.
Tip #3: If you are hoping to re-use the same baseboards be careful when you are hammering the chisel. It can damage the baseboard bad enough that it could be ruined.
Tip #4: Wear gloves. I ended up with bleeding fingers more than once out of pure laziness.
Tip #5: Be careful not to damage the drywall. If you don’t cut the caulk completely through, you stand the risk of damaging the sheetrock and it will rip off a large chunk of drywall that will need to be repaired later. I can neither confirm nor deny to be speaking for experience here.
Tip #6: Don’t use a crow bar. If you use this tool you run the risk of damaging the drywall significantly when you pry the baseboard off the wall.
Tip #7: Hammer in the straggler brad nails. When you pull off the baseboards, some of the brad nails will not come off with the boards. We learned that hammering them into the wall was MUCH easier and faster than prying them out.
Good luck on removing your baseboards! It goes fast if you follow these tips!
xoxo,
Brooke