Hey everyone! We just bought our first home and are planning to change the floors, paint the walls, and also repaint the baseboard trim. We want to keep the baseboards but change their color. Since we're replacing the flooring with luxury vinyl plank (LVP), I'm wondering if it would be better to remove the baseboards entirely, prime and paint them, and then reinstall them once the floors and walls are done. What do you think is the best approach to handle this project efficiently? Thanks for any advice!
3 Answers
Before you dive in, make sure you can get replacement pieces for the baseboards if they break during removal. It’s a bit of extra hassle, but worth it to save your original trim if you want to keep it. That said, pulling them is definitely advisable for the best outcome with your new flooring!
Totally agree! I'd hate to compromise the look now after all this work.
I agree with removing them. If your current floors are mainly carpet, you'll definitely need to take the baseboards off to avoid having a visible gap when you install the new LVP. Even if it's a bit extra work, you'll thank yourself later when everything looks clean and finished. And yeah, don’t forget to fill those brad holes after reattachment!
That's a good point! I didn't think about the gap issue with carpet.
Thanks! Filling those holes is on my list now.
Honestly, pulling the baseboards is usually the best way to go if you're installing new floors like LVP. It lets you get everything under the baseboards for a cleaner look. Just be careful when you remove them—score along the edges where they touch the wall to prevent peeling paint later. You might want to write down where each piece goes, too! A few might split, but that's just part of the process. Plus, some folks leave baseboards on and just slap on quarter-round trims to cover gaps, but it really does look nicer if you do it right.
Thanks for the tip! Scoring the edges makes total sense, and I hadn't thought about marking them.
Got it! Seems like removing them is definitely the better call for the final look.
Good call! It's always best to have a backup plan just in case.