How to Remove Old Vinyl Baseboard

Use a wide putty knife to separate the baseboard from the wall.

To protect the bottom of a wall from scuffs and to prevent water and spills from running into the gap between the bottom of the wall and the floor, your home builder may have installed vinyl baseboard. Also known as vinyl cove, this type of baseboard attaches with glue instead of nails, and removing it can be tricky. Even with care, you might pull off little bits of drywall or plaster. It's a time-consuming project, but you can minimize damage to the wall by using some basic hand tools.

Things You'll Need

• Wide putty knife
• Rubber mallet
• Utility knife
• Straight edge
• Hair dryer (optional)

Instructions

1. Score the wall along the top edge of the vinyl baseboard with a sharp utility knife. This separates the wall and the cove and prevents pulling off wallpaper or paint from the upper portion of the wall.

2. Hold a straight edge along the bottom of the cove where the baseboard meets the flooring, and score that edge as well. Cut only through surface glue; don't cut through old linoleum if you're not replacing the flooring.

3. Place the blade of a wide putty knife at the top of the baseboard, wedging the blade slightly behind the vinyl while holding the handle of the putty knife flush with the wall.

4. Tap the top of the putty knife handle sharply with a mallet, taking care not to hit your fingers. The putty knife will slide downward between the vinyl baseboard and the wall, cutting the baseboard smoothly away from the wall.

5. Repeat the procedure all the way around the room, cutting the baseboard from the wall one tap at a time.

6. Heat the baseboard if it's stuck on tightly. In some cases, the builder might have used a lot of glue, and over the years, the vinyl and glue hardened. If the vinyl is brittle and tapping is making it chip and break, apply heat to the baseboard with a hair dryer, warming a 2-foot section at a time. Then use the putty knife and the mallet.

Tips & Warnings

• Smooth drywall compound evenly into holes created during the baseboard removal before installing new baseboard.

• Avoid pulling the baseboard off from the side, unless it comes off easily. If you have to pry, do it from the top downward by pulling the handle of the putty knife outward after you've tapped the blade between the cove and the wall.

References

• iFlooringInfo: Removing Base Molding