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Removing replacing old baseboard

tab1 | Posted in General Discussion on February 19, 2006 06:51am

I need to remove, and then replace, a 9 foot piece of 10 inch tall baseboard from one wall, and would prefer not to remove the baseboard from the two adjacent walls. Since the ends are inside, mitered corners I can’t pull it straight off. The walls are plaster but that will be replaced with sheetrock. I’m wondering if it would work to use a recip. saw and cut (what I think is called) a scarf joint near the center of the piece? Or is there a better way? Baseboard is painted, and in a relatively out of the way location.

Thanks.

Thon

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  1. DanH | Feb 19, 2006 08:12am | #1

    At 9 feet you might be able to flex it enough to get it out without cutting, though it depends on the type of wood, and wood that old tends to be brittle.

    To cut the scarf you need either a fine-toothed back saw (or "Japanese saw") or a Fein multimaster. I suppose you could try to pry it out enough to cut with a recip saw, but it wouldn't be pretty.

    If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people

    happy?

    1. tab1 | Feb 19, 2006 04:53pm | #5

      My thinking was to use the recip saw to cut through the baseboard, plaster, and lath all at once, when cutting the scarf. I realize it'll be a rough cut, but thought with some putty and paint it could be rejoined fairly unobtrusively. The baseboard is, I'd guess, about 70 years old, and since I don't want to make a new piece, I'll need to put this piece back on the wall. Pulling the piece up, is an interesting idea that I hadn't considered, and I'll probably try that first. (All the plaster and lath from this wall is being removed and replaced with rigid insulation, and sheetrock.) Thanks for the comments.Thon

      1. User avater
        MarkH | Feb 19, 2006 05:30pm | #6

        Just bash out the plaster, then the baseboard should be fairly easy to remove. Sawzall will do too much damage to reuse it sucessfully.

      2. nikkiwood | Feb 19, 2006 06:12pm | #8

        Most base boards I have seen of this size are two pieces -- a cap (maybe 2" wide) then the baseboard itself. Since you are demoing the plaster wall behind it anyway, I would suggest prying the baseboard away from the wall in the center. Take a hacksaw blade and cut the first few nails (as close the the baseboard itself as possible), and then move to either corner. After the first few nails in the center, you should have enough room to slip a recip saw with a long blade to cut the nails as you move to each side. But you will probably have to use the hacksaw blade again to cut the nails in the corners. Once all the (or most) of the nails have been cut free, you should be able to pull the baseboard up to free the miters. I would cut a scarf joint in the middle of the baseboard only as an absolute last resort.Whatever you're doing with the new sheetrock/insulation, pay attention to the wall thickness -- otherwise you will never be able to fit the old baseboard back into the miters. For instance, old plaster is usually very close to 1/2" thick, so if you save some of the lath to fur out the studs, you will end up very close to the original wall. You may end up having to fur with stock that is slightly thicker or thinner than the original lath. It would be good idea to do a trial run with small scraps in the corners to see how it will fit together.********************************************************
        "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

        John Wooden 1910-

  2. Jer | Feb 19, 2006 04:07pm | #2

    If it's painted and most of it is squared, then just take your sawzall and carefully lop off the end of one (or both)  of the miters of the adjacent board and slip in your new piece with new but joints. 

    If it's not a squared piece then I would just cut out the old, remove all the nails, and cut a new whole piece and slip  it  back in from the top.  I guess I'm really not sure what the problem is.  The last thing I would do is leave a joint in such a wide piece of stock because of movement.   If however you do have to put a joint in it, then make sure the joint is on a stud, and bevel-miter the joint and secure it with finish nails and glue.

  3. User avater
    NickNukeEm | Feb 19, 2006 04:18pm | #3

    When you say, 'replace' the old piece, do you mean to reinstall the old baseboard, or to replace it with something new?

    If you intend to reinstall the old piece, you should be able to flex it enough to remove and reinstall, but the wood might be brittle (as was already mentioned) and having two people would make the job easier.

    If you intend to replace it with new, cutting a scarf joint would be the method if you could not flex in a new piece.

    One last thought, sometimes older IS corners look mitered because the old carps really knew how to cope.  If the IS joints are coped, more than likely one end of your piece is coped and the other butted into the wall.  Remove the coped end first, pry the base away from the wall as much as possible, then pull out the end trapped by the adjacent piece coped end.

    If that makes any sense.

     

    "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."  Invictus, by Henley.

  4. Jemcon | Feb 19, 2006 04:23pm | #4

    Would you be able to pry the center of the moulding out far enough to to getthe sawzall blade behind it. If so, use a fine tooth bladeand cut through the nalis and slide it up.

    If you're replaceing the plaster with drywall the thickness will be different and you'll need to replace the side pieces too. Unless you fur out the wall enough to bring the rock out to the right thickness.

     

     

     

    Headstong, I'll take on anyone!

  5. torn | Feb 19, 2006 05:49pm | #7

    If you decide to cut a scarf joint, I wouldn't do it in the middle of the piece. I'd do it as close to one corner as possible; it will be much less noticeable there. A joint in the middle of a run screams "look at me!!"

  6. barbmartin | Feb 19, 2006 06:26pm | #9

    Is the base square on top or does it have a profile on top? Some older base are two pieces with the profile separate pieces. Squared profiles are usually butt joints.

    I have never got a piece out without breaking unless I removed all the nails first. I would remove all the lath and plaster from behind the base first and then cut the nails from behind it.

    Getting the wall thickness to match so you can reuse and have the old mitres match back up exactly will also be a challenge.

    Another option is to just leave it in place and let the new drywall set just below the top edge of existing base.



    Edited 2/19/2006 10:41 am ET by barbmartin

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