Replacing base board trim on Plaster Walls.

[Katie]

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.

[Italian]

[John Gilmer]

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.

[RayV]

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.

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: