How To Remove Baseboards In 5 Simple Steps

Steps for Removing Baseboards

Step 1: Score a line along the baseboard

Score a line along the baseboard and any quarter-round molding to help it release more easily from each other and any woodwork or drywall above. The joint may have been caulked or even just painted over several times. Skipping this step can pull large pieces of the paint on the adjacent surface and create the need for additional patchwork.

Step 2: Choose a starting point

If possible, start at an outside corner where it’s easier to open the joint, versus an inside corner where the miters can lock the pieces more tightly in place.

Step 3: Tap a putty knife behind the molding

Using a hammer, tap the blade of a thin putty knife behind the molding, starting with any quarter-round trim installed in front of the baseboards, to start working it loose.

Step 4: Create a gap

Once you create a gap, slide the end of a pry bar into the opening to work it free, sliding a block behind the bar to create a fulcrum and to prevent it from marring the wood or wall above. Repeat this process to free the main baseboard molding, using a pry bar or hammer supported by a block to open the gap. If your floors were installed in front of the baseboards, you may also need to pry the baseboards up slightly to get them free. Once you get behind a section, work your way down the board and around the room.

Step 5: Pull out leftover nails

Remove any leftover nails with a hammer, using a block to support near the base of the drywall.

Materials

Scrap Block of wood

Tools