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How to Remove Baseboards

Over the past few months, I’ve redone all the trim in our house. The first step in the process was to remove all the old trim without damaging the drywall. A small pry bar works great to pull the trim off, but it can be easy to accidentally punch through the drywall. To solve this issue, I use a small taping knife behind the pry bar. The taping knife distributes the load over the drywall AND can be a little easier to work in behind the trim to start pulling it off.

More details below!

how to remove baseboards

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Tools & Supplies

Step 1.

Start at one end of the baseboard. Wedge the taping knife behind the baseboard and start to pry it from the wall. Loosen the baseboard enough that you can get the pry bar in there in front of the taping knife.

how to remove baseboards

I used a wide taping knife because that’s what I had on hand. A narrower taping knife will also work just fine. The taping knife just has to be wide enough to spread the pressure from the pry bar over some surface area so it doesn’t puncture the drywall.

Step 2.

Start to pry the baseboard away from the wall. Adjust the taping knife as necessary to keep it behind the pry bar.

how to remove baseboards

I used a small pry bar for all the trim. A large pry bar will give you more leverage so it’s a little easier to break the nails free. However, trim is pretty easy to remove and the small pry bar did just fine for me.

Step 3.

Work your way down the baseboard with the taping knife and pry bar until it’s loose enough that you can pull the baseboard off.

how to remove baseboards

Step 4.

Pull that bad boy off!

how to remove baseboards

Start at one end and just work your way down until it breaks loose.

how to remove baseboards

There you have it!

No damage to the drywall whatsoever:

how to remove baseboards

**The little marks you can see are from the nails in the baseboard, not the pry bar.

A few tips:

Make sure to keep the taping knife behind the pry bar at all times. Work slowly and keep an eye on how the drywall is reacting to the pressure. If you take your time, it’ll all go smoothly!

Once you’ve got all the baseboards off, get ready to add some new trim to those beautiful walls!

Please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

For more project ideas, you can find me on Pinterest. And to stay up to date with the latest shenanigans, follow me on Instagram.

How to Remove Baseboards

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