I've got a 1949 fixer-upper with water-stained drywall on walls and ceilings that measures only 3/8" thick instead of the usual 1/2". I want to update wiring and re-insulate so I'm thinking to demolish all the funky old drywall. (Because of the presumption of lead paint, I'll make sure it's done with necessary precautions.)
But the wood molding trim around windows, doors, and baseboard is quite decent – very good material in reasonable shape, but with (presumably) some lead paint.
Is it worth the effort to remove, repaint, and re-use the moldings? Better to remove them with pry-bar or use a recip saw (to cut the nails from behind)? Is the lead paint on moldings a deal-killer?
Best Answer
It is definitely worth the effort to reuse the wood trim and molding. Chances are it's of better quality than you'd be replacing it with. When you figure out how many linear feet of trim/molding you have, it can be in the thousands of feet @ at buck or two (or more) per foot, that's a lot of $$. Plus you'd have to cut the miters. You can prime and repaint over lead based paint or remove the lead paint with a paint remover so that wouldn't be a deal breaker.
You'd want to use a wide edge pry bar to remove the trim and base board. Hopefully the nails won't pull through the wood.