Painting baseboards

[minkydog]

Okay, I need to break down and paint all the baseboards. Right now, they are all stained a pecan color--sorta orangey-honey-brown. Pretty...about 20 years ago. I have never painted baseboards so I'm not sure how to go about it. Do I pop them all off the wall, take 'em outside, and paint? Or do I just get on my knees and try not to get paint on my brand new carpets?

And after I finish that, I need to work on the popcorn ceilings. Better to scrape it off and repaint, or do I need to replace all the ceiling drywall?

 

[monkeybug]

In my last house we scraped popcorn ceilings and painted baseboards! (and when I say we...it means it was mostly my husband) He popped off the baseboards and painted them in the garage. He had them propped up on saw horses and a tarp underneath. I did help paint them. He used something to fill the nail holes (after he nailed them back in place), sanded it down, and then touched up those spots with paint.
For the popcorn ceiling, first we had to send a sample to a lab to make sure it wasn't asbestos. It wasn't, so my brother and my husband donned dust masks, used squirt bottles to dampen it, and then just used a scraper to get it off. They strapped empty 5 gallon buckets to their feet (like giant moon shoes) and used those to get close to the ceiling, they thought the scrapers were easier to control that way, they didn't like the long handles. We tarped off the rooms that were not being scraped because it creates a lot of dust. The popcorn came off really easy though! Then they used spackle stuff to smooth out any gouges and painted the ceilings. It made a huge difference!

 

[AshleyW]

We just redid the baseboards in our dining room when we replaced the flooring in there. It had carpet crazy2 and we put hardwood in. My biggest piece of advice is just don't make the mistake that we did.. when we were popping the baseboards off, two of them cracked, so we had to replace all the baseboards in that room. When we stained our new baseboards, we just did it in the garage with some newspaper underneath.

Are you going to paint them or just stain the wood? If you're going to stain, we tried taking a shortcut and tried both the aerosol spray and the foam and neither worked very well. The only way we got it to be completely even was using liquid stain and paintbrushes.

 

[Silent1CB]

Grew up with painted baseboards & I never want them. We have stained trim & I'm keeping it.

Not a fan of seeing every little mark, scrape or nick that happens with painted baseboards. At least stained hides it a little better.

Also, depending on the paint color, the dust shows up more, and over time, I've seen the dust get pushed into the cracks in peoples houses when they clean & it looks yucky.

Sure it looks great when it all brandy new, but too much work for my liking to keep it that way.

Painted baseboards are "IN" because builders can use the cheapest grade of wood & cover it with paint. Sometimes its not even one piece but lots of glued sections of smaller pieces of wood covered with paint.

If you've got good quality wood baseboards, I would restain them a different color.

 

[minkydog]

my brother and my husband donned dust masks, used squirt bottles to dampen it, and then just used a scraper to get it off. They strapped empty 5 gallon buckets to their feet (like giant moon shoes) and used those to get close to the ceiling, they thought the scrapers were easier to control that way, they didn't like the long handles.

What a great idea! I would never have thought of that. I'm short, so I had visions of standing on a wobbly ladder. Your way sounds better.

We just redid the baseboards in our dining room when we replaced the flooring in there. It had carpet crazy2 and we put hardwood in. My biggest piece of advice is just don't make the mistake that we did.. when we were popping the baseboards off, two of them cracked, so we had to replace all the baseboards in that room. When we stained our new baseboards, we just did it in the garage with some newspaper underneath.

Are you going to paint them or just stain the wood? If you're going to stain, we tried taking a shortcut and tried both the aerosol spray and the foam and neither worked very well. The only way we got it to be completely even was using liquid stain and paintbrushes.

No, I want to paint them white/cream now. I have honey-gold hardwoods, so the baseboards don't look bad. They're just not very stylish. The house looks dated, so I want to freshen it up. I think tearing out the baseboards is better than schooching around on my hands and knees painting them. I have friends who pulled all theirs out and just replaced them all with those fancier 4" wide ones. They look nice but I can't imagine how much that cost.

 

[minkydog]

Grew up with painted baseboards & I never want them. We have stained trim & I'm keeping it.

Not a fan of seeing every little mark, scrape or nick that happens with painted baseboards. At least stained hides it a little better.

Also, depending on the paint color, the dust shows up more, and over time, I've seen the dust get pushed into the cracks in peoples houses when they clean & it looks yucky.

Sure it looks great when it all brandy new, but too much work for my liking to keep it that way.

Painted baseboards are "IN" because builders can use the cheapest grade of wood & cover it with paint. Sometimes its not even one piece but lots of glued sections of smaller pieces of wood covered with paint.

If you've got good quality wood baseboards, I would restain them a different color.

Hmmm, you make a good point. Need to think about this...

 

[Silent1CB]

I've seen some of the shows on HGTV showing wood trim in new houses. Maybe its regional or maybe people are done with the white or they are smartening up about all the work it takes to keep them looking good.



I've also seen some new houses that are a mixture of wood & painted. Seems to be out in the Idaho section of the country. Not sure how I like it. Again, I think it might be a builder cost cutting step. I think it was white doors & jams, and wood baseboards. Can't remember what the window trim was.

 

[disykat]

I have painted baseboards and I've never taken them off. That sounds like a much larger job to me. I just scoot around on my rear and paint them. I make two rounds of the room, first taping, then painting. Using tape and an old towel I drag with me as I go I've never had an issue with getting paint on the carpet or walls.

 

[Silent1CB]

We did carefully remove the baseboards in our bathroom. Sanded lightly on sawhorses & restained & a satin poly for water protection & very minimal shine.

If you do it, in pencil, number the backs of the pieces as you go around the room so its easier putting them back.

 

[minkydog]

Now I'm confused. You can have stained baseboards, but painted door frames? I thought it all had to be the same. I think the baseboards are bothering me less than all the wood-stained door & window frames, plus all the wood doors. Maybe I could just paint those parts and leave the baseboards stained?

 

[claudia]

I use a paint shield
http://www.amazon.com/Allway-Tool-P...ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1276791641&sr=8-4
easy as pie to use....no way would I want to remove, paint and replace the baseboards.....

 

[richsilver]

Pulling them off could cause issues. Depending on what type wall your working on, the nailers could be in odd positions. meaning use of adhesive which could pull off drywall, break boards. Then renailing would also be a problem.

Get a good quality 1 1/2" tapered brush, some tape, and a wide scraper/shield.

Keep a fairly wet rag nearby. If any paint makes it to the carpet, latex will come right up if handled directly. I haven't used a drop cloth for years, and have painted my homes many times over without problems. Dad was a painter, so I guess I've had a little help with technique. lol

If the baseboard is attached well now, my $.02 is to leave it and get ready for some sore muscles. lol

 

[lovesmurfs]

Grew up with painted baseboards & I never want them. We have stained trim & I'm keeping it.

Not a fan of seeing every little mark, scrape or nick that happens with painted baseboards. At least stained hides it a little better.

Also, depending on the paint color, the dust shows up more, and over time, I've seen the dust get pushed into the cracks in peoples houses when they clean & it looks yucky.

Sure it looks great when it all brandy new, but too much work for my liking to keep it that way.

Painted baseboards are "IN" because builders can use the cheapest grade of wood & cover it with paint. Sometimes its not even one piece but lots of glued sections of smaller pieces of wood covered with paint.

If you've got good quality wood baseboards, I would restain them a different color.

ITA! I hate my painted baseboards in my kitchen, and they were freshly painted just 3 years ago. The dark stained baseboards in the rest of the house look as great as they did when we moved in 12 years ago.

OP, could you just stain with maybe a darker or lighter color?

 

[laurie31]

Minky, I think you know this, but removing popcorn ceilings makes an UNGODLY amount of dust. We had friends who just did this, and it affected their breathing (and they don't have asthma/allergies) and even though they covered everything with tarps, there was still dust everywhere. Everywhere. She is still vacuuming, weeks later. They said it was really bad.

We would LOVE to get rid of our popcorn ceilings, but seeing what our friends went through (and they hired people to do it, we would be DIY) we just can't bring ourselves to go through all that.

I just wanted to bring it up, as I know your DH has breathing issues.

I know the idea is to get it wet and then scrape it off, but there is still more dust than you would think. I would check with your DH's doctor before I messed with the popcorn.

We're about to paint our baseboards, though. DH is just going to paint them in place. They can break if you try to take them off. Our house is 22 years old, so they've been there for quite awhile. Ours are already white; they just now need freshening up beyond what I can do by cleaning them.

And yes, you can paint your door trim and such, and leave the baseboards if you want to. Hey, try it, and worst thing if you don't like it, you can then paint the baseboards too.

 

[minkydog]

Minky, I think you know this, but removing popcorn ceilings makes an UNGODLY amount of dust. We had friends who just did this, and it affected their breathing (and they don't have asthma/allergies) and even though they covered everything with tarps, there was still dust everywhere. Everywhere. She is still vacuuming, weeks later. They said it was really bad.

We would LOVE to get rid of our popcorn ceilings, but seeing what our friends went through (and they hired people to do it, we would be DIY) we just can't bring ourselves to go through all that.

I just wanted to bring it up, as I know your DH has breathing issues.

I know the idea is to get it wet and then scrape it off, but there is still more dust than you would think. I would check with your DH's doctor before I messed with the popcorn.

We're about to paint our baseboards, though. DH is just going to paint them in place. They can break if you try to take them off. Our house is 22 years old, so they've been there for quite awhile. Ours are already white; they just now need freshening up beyond what I can do by cleaning them.

And yes, you can paint your door trim and such, and leave the baseboards if you want to. Hey, try it, and worst thing if you don't like it, you can then paint the baseboards too.

Oh, I didn't even think about dust! You're right, we absolutely can't have that. DH has a LOT of lung/heart issues--he's on oxygen right now! I guess we'll put off doing the ceilings until we're ready to sell the house in a few years. The paint fumes will be bad enough. I'm going to use those low-fume paints this time.

Good idea about the baseboards. I'm thinking more and more about leaving them. They actually don't look that bad, considering they haven't had any attention in the past 33 years.

 

[yoopermom]

Minky,
My DH is a contractor, and he abhors popcorn ceilings! When we looked at houses to buy, if he saw it, that nixed it! They are a horror to take down because of the huge quantity of dust. I have dust/mold allergies that aren't too severe, and he said he would never subject me to that, so I can't think it would be good for your DH. Unless he could move completely out of the home while it was coming down? Even then, it would have to be REALLY contained (best done by a pro).

Hugs to you, though, for thinking about all this. Good luck with your baseboards!

Terri

 

[minkydog]

Minky,
My DH is a contractor, and he abhors popcorn ceilings! When we looked at houses to buy, if he saw it, that nixed it! They are a horror to take down because of the huge quantity of dust. I have dust/mold allergies that aren't too severe, and he said he would never subject me to that, so I can't think it would be good for your DH. Unless he could move completely out of the home while it was coming down? Even then, it would have to be REALLY contained (best done by a pro).

Hugs to you, though, for thinking about all this. Good luck with your baseboards!

Terri

Yeah, I"m thinking that we'll have to move out completely to do the ceilings, maybe permanently. His lungs can't take much particulate. He has to stay indoors during allergy season and any time the ozone goes into the yellow or orange zone.

 

[MAKmom]

I have painted baseboards and I've never taken them off. That sounds like a much larger job to me. I just scoot around on my rear and paint them. I make two rounds of the room, first taping, then painting. Using tape and an old towel I drag with me as I go I've never had an issue with getting paint on the carpet or walls.

We also do not remove the baseboards to paint.

Now I'm confused. You can have stained baseboards, but painted door frames? I thought it all had to be the same. I think the baseboards are bothering me less than all the wood-stained door & window frames, plus all the wood doors. Maybe I could just paint those parts and leave the baseboards stained?

I would want them to match too.