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Removing Moldings

Okay you need to remove some moldings. You could just rip them down but you're going to damage your walls. Take a few minutes and it could save you a lot of time on repairs later on!

Things You'll Need:

Paint

Pencil

Sticky Note

Putty Knife

Pry Bar

Solution:

Okay you need to remove some moldings. You could just rip them down but you're going to damage your walls. Take a few minutes and it could save you a lot of time on repairs later on!

1. Use a sharp utility knife to split the caulk or paint seams along the moldings.

2. Figure out where the studs are located; pulling the moldings off at the studs will help cause the least amount of damage to the wall as well as the molding. Mark each stud with a small pencil mark or a sticky note.

3. Wedge a stiff putty knife in between the molding and the wall at the stud. Then carefully slip a pry bar in between the molding and the putty knife. Gently pry it away from the wall. The putty knife will protect the wall. You may need to get a hammer to gently tap on the pry bar to get it into place. Don't try to completely remove the molding at this point.

4. Move down the wall and pry the board a little at each stud. Once it is loosened all the way along the length go back and repeat it until you've removed the entire piece.

5. Once you've done that, take the nails out by tapping them back through the front of the board, or rolling them out of the back with a pair of needle nosed pliers!

6. Using this method you'll save your walls and your moldings!