Nothing in an old house is ever EASY! :(

15 years ago

So I found this beautiful 'bargain' door on craigslist, to replace my old & beat up, leaky front door. This turned in to tearing down a wall, ripping up the entry tile & replacing it, moving electrical, repairing the hardwood floor, & of course I need to re-paint the entire living room & entry & replace some of the baseboard & crown molding.

Since the olde baseboard & CM are truly fugly, I decide it's time to replace those as well. First step: remove the old baseboard.

Trying to carefully remove the old baseboard & not ruin the wallboard behind it, & it is NOT wanting to come off easily....

Yeah, that worked....& I find out why it's not coming off easily....Not only is there no wallboard behind the baseboard, the baseboard is actually a 1x6 that the wallboard is sitting on top of. See the 100-yr old wallpaper covering the original wood walls?

I was hoping to re-texture the hidden wallboard, & then install much shorter baseboard, but in order to do so, I now need to patch in a new piece of wallboard first. All the way around the living room. Either that or find some 6" baseboard & tack in something to even out the wall.

*Sigh* I should know by know that there's a hidden surprise behind everything I try to do in this house!!!!

Thanks for listening - just needed some understanding folk to rant to....

Comments (8)

User
15 years ago
uuuuggghhhhh...that sucks. Sometimes it doesn't seem fair, bet it will look lovely when it's done. If it were me and I could get enough of it from behind the fake wall, I'd frame a square of the wallpaper and hang it. Once you're house is finished it will remind you of how far you and your home have come!
moonkat99
Original Author
15 years ago
gmta lukkiirish :) Not this wallpaper, but I do have a piece from earlier in this process - still attached to the wood as well!

I was making a dump run, & had that piece in my hands & realized it was a keeper :) I have a number of objects that I refer to as "basement art" - stuff that has no place in my home in the public eye, but much too wonderful to toss. The walls in the basement are filled with them, & they always make me smile :)
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GammyT
15 years ago
How old is your home? You might be throwing away what others want.
moonkat99
Original Author
15 years ago
gammyt I am a recycler born of recyclers, & I re-use everything possible & look for used whenever possible. Believe me - if I'm taking it to the dump it's because no one wanted it for free!

House is a shade over 100 yrs old. & it goes under the category "Old", not "Historical" lol
turnage (8a TX)
15 years ago
Moonkat - the house I grew up in was built during the post WWII boom (1948). I remember some of the shoddy techniques my Dad found when he took on repairs with that house. I also remember learning lots of "new words" during that time.

Good luck with your house.
energy_rater_la
15 years ago
Found some suprises behind my floor moldings also..
open walls, 6" baseboards hiding a 4" crack.
I didn't get the new baseboards because I was off on
a quest to find the most effective and efficient way
to seal them. This 'diy charmer' is behind every baseboard
interior and exterior wall ... in my house.
Thankfully it is a small house!

I truly get your frustration. Having never thought about
owning a home I was spoiled to calling the landlord to fix
things, not having to learn to fix them or hire them out myself. It is truly a learning experience!
Later you will look back and just see the nice job that you did.
Oh and..see that crack at the wall & floor? caulk it before you install your new baseboards.
Old houses are leaky, in my house I caulked not only the
crack at the floor to my new air seal, but caulked the top of the baseboard to the wall, and the bottom of the baseboard to the floor. Caulk will expand and contract and move with the wall and floor materials as temps change.
If you use a good brand with a long life it will last
and make a good seal for a small investment.
I use a 35 to 50 year caulk that goes on white but dries clear. Once it is dried..you can't see it, and it is paintable also.

Best of luck..and the old wallpaper is kind of pretty. Glad
you saved it for future enjoyment!
bill_g_web
15 years ago
Mooncat99 -
You must be in N. Cali. - That sure looks like old redwood you're tearing off there - nice stuff and at 100yrs of age, it's likely old growth. With an old house, you've gotta love the process - and have a little cash lying around.
moonkat99
Original Author
15 years ago
lol bill g - you nailed it! (so to speak)

Just trying to drive a nail (the old fashioned way) into some of these walls is tedious.

I cut the new baseboard with my handy little Stanley miter box, not too bad, but it took me the better part of a day! So I decided to have my GC's guys do the crown molding. Then got the bill from them for their last month's work, & decided I could do the CM myself. So I've just bought a used miter saw, & now I'm looking for a nail gun. I'll learn to work elegantly with this old growth wood yet!