Removing old pine skirting without damaging the wall. HELP

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Jonny Vee

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Hi Everyone

I'm removing my old pine skirting as part of the renovation but this is proving to be very difficult and making a lot of damage to the wall.

Basically the skirting is screwed with plugs on some point and very strong nails on others.

Using chisel and crowbar but when pulling the screw and plug the come out taking out a lot of plaster or if the nail are long enough the skirting basically does not move at all.

Shell I cut it in small section or try to drill when seeing the screw. Not all of them are visible, unfortunately.

Any experience?
 
Work sideways to avoid damage, not from above , cutting short sections helps if you have weak wrists. Crowbar of around a metre length is best .
 
Ordinary crow bars with a hexagonal or octagonal section bar often cause lots of damage. You're far better off with a couple of flat bars (e.g Stanley, Vaughan, etc) and using a couple of off cuts of plywood or MDF to spread the load on the plaster when working from above. TBH it is night on impossible to get really old skirting gs off without at least some damage. It's easier to repair plaster than vintage skirting, though
 
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foxhole said:
Work sideways to avoid damage, not from above , cutting short sections helps if you have weak wrists. Crowbar of around a metre length is best .
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Crowbar is a meter and have plenty of power. Just worried the screw and plug come out making a lot of damade
 
start by cutting any paint or decorator's caulk to free the top edge of the skirting.
use some kind of firm backing behind your leverage point - it will prevent crushing the plaster above the skirting.

then begin to lever with a thin edged tool.
work along the wall slightly freeing the skirting before using a large pry bar.
ease the skirting from the wall dont try and do it in one massive effort.
 
Why not sand the skirting to find out where the screw holes are first? There should be tell tail signs- slightly raised filler, softer surfaces and so on.
 
unfortunately "very strong nails" have been used as well as screws for fixing - plus we dont know if the OP is intending to save or skip the skirtings?
 
bobasd said:
unfortunately "very strong nails" have been used as well as screws for fixing - plus we dont know if the OP is intending to save or skip the skirtings?
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I imagine he will be throwing the skirting as he was prepared to chop it in bits to remove .
 
A bit late to the party but it might help anyone else that comes here. I didn't need to reuse the skirting, so I located the nails then used a small (inch or so) hole saw to cut around each nail. The skirting then just lifts away and the nails can be removed with a claw hammer.
 
andyste said:
The skirting then just lifts away and the nails can be removed with a claw hammer.
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All well and good, but if your skirtimg was foamed or grip adhesived as well, or the nails were set at opposed angles (i.e. "dovetail nailed") then that may not have worked. Just saying
 
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