How to remove an old skirting board. Dismantling the plinth

During repair work in an apartment, in your own house or in a country house, quite often circumstances develop in such a way that it becomes necessary to dismantle (remove) old skirting boards on your own, without the help of third-party specialists. Of course, you will not need special qualifications to dismantle skirting boards, however, in order to remove the old structure and not damage anything, you need to remember a number of simple rules. Further will be discussed how to remove the plinth from the floor with your own hands.

Types of floor plinths

Floor plinths can be divided into three main types:

1. Wooden plinth.
2. Plinth from MDF.
3. Plinth made of plastic.

Wooden skirting boards are made mainly from trees. conifers, and are more natural and environmentally friendly. The disadvantages of such skirting boards are the high market price and the need for almost jewelry fitting of all parts during their installation.

MDF skirting boards are today considered the most hygienic of all types of skirting boards. They are fairly easy to clean and hold up well. sunlight and are quite reasonably priced. It is also necessary to note some of their shortcomings: fragility and fragility.

Recently, plastic skirting boards have become widely popular among the population, because they have huge amount all kinds of advantages, such as affordable price, fairly light weight, good quality, no need for their painting and varnishing. All these features of plastic skirting boards greatly simplify the process of their self installation or dismantling.

Basic dismantling rules

The degree of complexity of dismantling directly depends on what material the plinth is made of and on what basis it is attached to the floor (on putty, adhesive mass or nails).

Tools needed for work:

• screwdrivers;
• chisels;
• nail puller;
• screwdriver;
• wooden wedges.

In that case when plastic plinth fastened to the floor with a shoe, you need to pry it off with a nail puller and pull it towards you with some effort.

It is advisable to dismantle the plinth, nailed with nails, slowly and carefully in order to avoid damage to the walls and flooring of the room. The work is done with a small crowbar and spatula. The crowbar should be inserted between the wall and the upper edge of the plinth, after which a spatula should be carefully inserted under the bottom of the plinth from the floor side. At this stage of dismantling, one should not rush and make sudden movements. When one part of the plinth has already completely moved away from the wall, you can begin to dismantle its next part, and so on until it is completely removed.

If the old skirting board is screwed on with self-tapping screws or screws, then you can use a screwdriver or a regular screwdriver to remove it.

To protect floors and walls from accidental damage, it is necessary to substitute under the already obtained so-called levers wooden block. Then you need to slowly pull the plinth towards you so that the main load is distributed to the underlying bar.

Dismantling skirting boards

All of the above dismantling steps are mainly used to remove old wooden skirting boards.

In the event that the plinth serves as a cable channel, then the dismantling procedure will differ in that you will first need to remove the bar that closes the channel and pull the wires out of it. Only then can the plinth be dismantled by unscrewing it from the wall.

Dismantling the plastic plinth will take much less time and effort. It is necessary to take a regular screwdriver and unscrew all the screws one by one, and then carefully separate the plinth from the wall surface. In the future, after all repairs have been completed, the plinth can be installed in its original place. In this case, you should collect all the removed screws and put them in a box. The dismantled parts of the plinth must be signed in such a way that no confusion arises during the reassembly process.

Although many plastic skirting boards are screwed to the wall (or floor) with self-tapping screws. Nonetheless, most of of them are structurally designed to fix them in a special fastener, pre-screwed to the wall. Most often, to dismantle the plinth, fixed in this way, it is not necessary to make significant efforts, but in some cases the plinth is so tightly fixed that it has to be literally torn off the wall. In this case, we are already talking about preserving the appearance of the wall, since you have to rest against it in order to tear off the plinth.

Video

Watch a video on how the plinth is removed:

The dismantling of the plinth can be attributed to simple jobs that even a person who has never been involved in construction can handle. You don’t need much mind in this matter, but it’s still worth getting acquainted with what tool you need and what order of work. The plinth, as you know, is different: sometimes wooden, and sometimes plastic.

Removing the plastic plinth. It is enough to take a screwdriver or a screwdriver and unscrew the screws, if the plinth has a hidden ditch for wiring, then first remove it, and then unscrew the screws. With a wooden plinth, the situation is worse, and not a modern wooden one, but an old Soviet painted solid wooden plinth. To remove such a skirting board, sweat well.

Tool you will need:

• crowbar;
• Wooden wedges;
• A chisel or a large, sturdy screwdriver to pry the baseboard from underneath.

Dismantling of the old wooden plinth.

Take and pry the old plinth in two planes: from the wall to the side and from the floor up. You pry it from the walls to the side with the help of a crowbar, and from below it is advisable to stick a chisel or a flat, strong screwdriver. Under both levers, that is, under the crowbar and chisel (or whatever you have), it is necessary, if possible, to place wooden wedges. This must be done so as not to damage the walls during dismantling. It is necessary to act with two levers at once, gradually tearing off the plinth from the walls and from the floor. In the process of dismantling, a gap should form between the wall and the floor with a characteristic creak of nails. After it has appeared in one place, move further along the entire skirting board, with the same movements, dismantle the skirting board around the entire perimeter of the room.

conceived overhaul, or updating the interior of the room? Then you can not do without dismantling work. Removing old coatings is a mandatory step before starting repair work. Difficulties are the dismantling of skirting boards, especially if wall or flooring must be saved.

How to remove the plinth so as not to damage the walls, floor and ceiling? In this article, we will consider the main ways to remove baguettes (ceiling and floor) with our own hands.

Features of dismantling works

There may be several reasons for removing skirting boards: their damage, unpresentable appearance, the need to replace the flooring, wall and ceiling decoration.

Dismantling works are divided into:

• simple - removal of old trim elements with their subsequent disposal;
• complex - dismantling worn-out products in order to reuse them.

The cost of removing a baguette is also determined by the material of its manufacture. It's easier to remove a product made of plastic and polyurethanethan wood, plaster, ceramics.

Ways to remove ceiling fillets

If you need to replace wall and ceiling trim, the question arises: how to remove ceiling plinth? To do this, you will need the following tools:

• chisel, mount;
• putty knife;

The dismantling of the ceiling plinth begins with clearing the paint on the sides of the baguette with a knife. Further, between the wall and the plinth, the sharp end of a chisel or spatula is driven in, separating the product around the entire perimeter of the room.

Insert a crowbar into the holes obtained and remove the plinth

Fillets made of polyurethane and foam, due to the fragility of the material, cannot be removed without damage. The dismantling of gypsum fillets is also difficult - when removed, they simply fall apart into pieces, forming a lot of debris.

How to disassemble the floor plinth

When changing the floor covering, it is necessary to remove the floor baguette. How to remove the plinth from the floor correctly?

Wooden planks are attached to nails, which can rust during the operation of the product. How to tear them off without damaging either the wall or the floor? First, the plinth is separated from the wall with a chisel, and then removed, pushing it away with a crowbar.

Dismantling wooden planks

How to remove plastic plinth? Since the PVC strips are screwed to the wall, it is easy to dismantle them - you just need to remove the top strip, unscrew the screws and disassemble the structure.

Almost every repair of an apartment or a private house begins with dismantling. When it comes to the floor, to dismantle it, you first need to remove the skirting boards. They can be pulled out so that there is nothing left to do but throw them in the trash. However, if you plan to use them, it is important to know how to remove the skirting board from the floor carefully. In this article, we will look at the intricacies of dismantling wooden and plastic skirting boards.

An old plinth made of wood can be dismantled in several ways. The choice will largely depend on how it was installed. For example, if it is painted with paint and nailed to the floor, then the heads of the nails can be identified by the existing holes. Also, nail heads can peek out above the baseboard. In the latter case, finding nails is easiest.

The work will be very easy. Take the crowbar and drive it under the plinth with the side with a pointed spatula, preferably in the place where the nail is hammered. After that, it remains to pull the crowbar towards you.

Considering the force with which you will press on the crowbar, it is very easy to push a hole in the floor. For this reason, be sure to place a thin piece of plywood under its base.

Especially great efforts will be required in cases where the nail is too rusty. In this case, you will not spoil the floor and carefully dismantle the plinth, see the diagram for more details:

Do not hammer the crowbar under the plinth, where there is no nail, and pull it towards you. This can cause the skirting board to break.

In the event that the lever of the crowbar was not enough to remove the nail, then place a wooden block under the crowbar, up to 60 mm thick:

Do not immediately try to rip off the entire baseboard in one go. Start dismantling it from the corner. Tear off the skirting board 10–30 mm from the floor. Make such an anguish on each nail from beginning to end. When you have torn off all the nails, repeat the process again until the baseboard is completely removed.

If a wooden plinth recyclable, you can use another method. To do this, cut a recess near the nail with a chisel and remove it with a nail puller. What if the nail head comes off? Then use the method described above: drive a crowbar under the plinth and tear it off. When it is completely dismantled, nails without hats can be pulled out of the board with pliers.

What if the nails are not visible at all? In such a situation, drive a crowbar under the baseboard and lift it slightly. After hammering the baseboard back, after which the nail heads should appear. If the hats were puttied, then the putty will come off. If you pull in the place where there is no nail, then the plinth in this place simply rises. You can move the crowbar to the side and continue

But not in all cases, the plinth is fixed with nails. Often it is fixed with screws to the wall or floor. Therefore, it is extremely important to find all the hats of the screws. They can be closed with plugs or be recessed into the plinth. After finding them, take a screwdriver or a screwdriver with a reverse and unscrew them. The work will not take you much time.

Often there are such cases that neither nails nor self-tapping screws are visible on the surface of the plinth. The only thing that can be seen is small round knots in the form of knots, located at an equal distance from each other.

This may mean that wooden chopsticks were used to fix the skirting boards, which are these round pieces. To carry out the dismantling of such a plinth is also not difficult. These chopsticks can be drilled or gouged with a narrow chisel. In almost all cases, this method of fastening is performed to the wall.

In rare cases, there may be a nail under the chopik. So again you have to take the crowbar.

A plinth made of pressed paper is fixed with special mounting fasteners or latches. If fasteners are used, then the plinth is put on them from above. As for the latches, the special elements are screwed to the wall, and then the plinth is snapped onto them.

To dismantle them, you can do with one wide spatula. Drive it under the bottom and try to lift it slightly. If the plinth stays in place, it means that latches were used as fasteners. In this case, start the spatula from above along the wall and gently pull it towards you. With such manipulations, the plinth should move away.

With plastic plinths, the situation is different. In most cases, they are attached to the wall with a dowel / self-tapping screw. Some skirting boards have special channels for laying wires. These channels are closed with a special strip. It must be removed and the screws unscrewed. In almost all cases, these skirting boards are attached to the wall.

But not always their installation is carried out with the help of dowels. In some cases, for example, when engineering communications pass through the wall, the skirting boards are fixed with glue. Here also to carry out dismantling works won't be too difficult. You can use a wide spatula that you drive in from above. And after that, with a gentle movement towards yourself, tear off the plastic plinth from the wall.

So, we examined the main methods for dismantling the baseboard. If you know other details of this work, be sure to write about it in the comments to this article.

Video

In the provided video material, it is clearly shown how to dismantle the plinth from the floor:

If there is a need to dismantle the old skirting boards, then it's time to update the interior. Of course, the dismantling of skirting boards on the floor and (or) ceiling cannot be called too laborious work, but there are certain nuances. After reading this article, you will learn how to remove a skirting board made of different materials and what tools are needed for this.

What tools will be required?

It all depends on the material of manufacture of products. For the manufacture of skirting boards, materials such as wood, PVC, gypsum, polystyrene can be used. Plinth can be with or without corners, with decorative elements or without them.

To independently dismantle a glued or nailed profile, you will need:

• Mallet.
• Screwdriver with a flattened end or chisel.
• Thin spatula or scraper.
• Wooden wedges.
• Nail puller.
• Stationery or shoe knife.
• A hammer.

Plastic

Dismantling plastic plinths does not cause any difficulties. As a rule, they are used in order to close the gap between the floor covering and the wall, screwing onto dowels. How to remove the plastic plinth from the floor?

1. Remove the decorative strip.
2. Pull the wires out of the cable channel and unscrew the screws.
3. At the end of the repair, simply install the skirting board in place.

Important! Now about how to remove the corner of the plinth. After you dismantle the bar, it will come off by itself.

stucco work

It is almost impossible to remove the molding without damaging it. Take off stucco decor during repairs, when the decoration does not fit into the updated design. In all other cases, it is better not to touch the stucco molding.

You can try to remove it by running a sharp knife several times along the joints, gradually pushing the blade deeper and deeper.

Important! If the mixture on which the decor is held crumbles, then perhaps your attempts will be crowned with success.

However, most often, tearing off the stucco plinth without damaging it does not work, so they simply beat it off using a chisel and a hammer.

How to remove a plinth from a stretch ceiling (styrofoam, polystyrene)?

Styrofoam and polystyrene strips, as a rule, are mounted on glue. To dismantle such products:

1. Send them a stream warm air to soften the adhesive.
2. Slide along the joint with a knife or spatula and, gently prying off the profile, remove it.

Important! It is necessary to remove the ceiling plinth with the utmost care, without touching the front side where the decor is applied. Under the influence of warm air, the material becomes pliable, and it can be damaged even by a slight mechanical impact.

MDF

To fasten the MDF profile, special mounting fasteners or latches are used.

Important! When using fasteners, the profile is put on them from above. The latches are screwed to the wall. After that, the plinth joins them.

To dismantle the MDF structure, one spatula is enough:

1. Drive it under the bottom and slightly lift it up.
2. If the profile remains in place, then it is fixed on the latches.
3. Run the spatula along the wall from below and carefully pull it towards you.

The profile can be easily detached.

Difficult cases

Here we are talking primarily about wooden products, which are fastened with nails or strong adhesive compositions. To successfully remove such a profile, you have to work hard. Begin to remove the plinth from the corner or door.

Putty and adhesive with strong hold

Polyurethane and wooden profiles for the floor and ceiling are removed with a mallet and a thin spatula:

1. First, draw a spatula several times along the joint, for a small gap.
2. Now rest the spatula on the bottom, holding the handle close to the wall.
3. Gently tap the trowel handle with a mallet so that the tip of the trowel enters between the wall and the plank.

The plinth is as if cut off the wall.

Nails:

1. To begin with, before removing the plinth, embroider the seams at the junction of the profile to the floor and wall. As a rule, they are filled with varnish and paint.
2. Insert the chisel into the gap formed, hammer it deeper with a hammer.
3. Now insert a wooden corner into the expanded slot.
4. Repeat all the manipulations after one meter, gradually tearing off the plinth.

Important! If the manipulations with the chisel did not end in success, use a nail puller (crowbar). But do not overdo it so as not to damage the profile.

The force with which you will act on the crowbar is quite large. Therefore, in order not to damage the flooring, use thin plywood as a substrate.

If the wooden profile is to be disposed of, then you can do it even easier: using a chisel, make a hole near the nail, and then use the nail puller.

self-tapping screws

To dismantle the plinth, fixed with self-tapping screws, it is important to find all their hats. Found? So - then everything is simple: unscrew them with a screwdriver with a reverse or a screwdriver.