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Removing glued-on plastic/vinyl "footing" @ base of wall?

Removing glued-on plastic/vinyl "footing" @ base of wall?


  #1  
Old 02-19-06, 10:37 AM
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Removing glued-on plastic/vinyl "footing" @ base of wall?

(Apologies for not knowing the term for this)

We've got some dark brown plastic or vinyl "footer trim" in a room we're redoing that we want to remove...the thing is, it is adhered with some sort of glue, and it isn't budging.

Here's a picture:

http://static.flickr.com/30/101687320_700aa25361_o.jpg

Are there any tricks or tools I should be using to get this off? It's stuck on pretty well, but at the same time it and the ahesive is "rubbery" enough to make it nearly impossible to pry off with a putty knife or screwdriver.

I don't mind mangling the wall or the finish (which is just dumpy wood panels that we're going to repaint anyways)...

Any tips?

Thanks so much...

- tim
 
  #2  
Old 02-20-06, 10:22 AM
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I couldn't get the link to work but I am fairly sure I know what type of trim you have. It is plastic with a wood grain and usually comes in either white or brown. Since it was put down with such good glue I doubt there are any easy tricks for removal. Scraping, prying and hopefully not too much cussing should remove it from the wall. Use a stiff putty knife 2-3" wide, chisel and pry bar AND LOTS OF ELBOW GREASE
 
  #3  
Old 02-20-06, 06:17 PM
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Like Marksr says, you have your work cut out for you. Lots of work. Are those 1/4 sawn lumber walls? If so, are you really going to put paint on them? I love the saw tooth marks, but only a wood butcher would.
 
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Old 02-21-06, 09:41 AM
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Thanks for the replies...yep, I'm afraid i'm going to have to just get down and dirty with these. Though, i've been trying the pry-bar method for a small patch of these things and the glue is so ridiculously strong, it rips out splinters of the board behind it before it releases from the rubber strip. Ugh.

And Chandler, those are indeed unevenly hewn lumber walls (I think)...and we have already painted them...which is probably a travesty without compare, but...they were really mismatched with anything else in the house, and moreover, made our sunroom look dark and dreary (like a poor attempt at what I'm imagining a german beer hall might look like).
 
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Old 02-22-06, 05:10 PM
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I'll cry in private.
 
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Old 02-23-06, 08:29 AM
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Now I feel bad.

What I said they were plastic? Bright pink plastic...and just the color balance was off in that photo?
 
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Old 02-23-06, 03:21 PM
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That's ok. Post pix when you are through. Maybe it will relieve the pain.
 
 

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