How to Remove Molding to Caulk Behind It

Baseboard and crown moldings cover the corners of the ceiling and floor of a room. These corners have open seams or joints that rarely get caulked. This is typically because carpenters put them up before the painters do their job. Although painters caulk the edges of the baseboard and crown molding to seal the room, this still leaves open seams behind the moldings--where insects can come through unless they get caulked. The good news is you can remove the molding after the fact and caulk behind it.

Utility knife
6-inch putty knife
Hammer
Flat pry bar
Wooden shims

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the caulk along the edges of the molding with a utility knife. Angle the knife's blade down into the space between the molding and the wall or ceiling surface. This ensures you won't cut into the wall or ceiling material. By cutting the caulk, you can make sure you don't pull the paint and paper off the drywall when pulling away the molding.
- 2
  Place the blade of a 6-inch putty knife in between the molding and the wall or ceiling surface. Hammer the angled end of a flat pry bar in between the putty knife blade and the molding. Lift the handle of the pry bar to pry the molding away from the wall. The putty knife blade protects the wall or ceiling surface from the pry bar. If it wasn't there, the pry bar would dent the wall or ceiling surface.
- 3
  Drive wooden shims into the gaps created by the putty knife and pry bar with a hammer. These shims will help keep the molding from retracting toward the wall or ceiling. Move the putty knife and pry bar down along the piece of molding and continue pounding and prying until the nails holding the molding to the wall or ceiling pull free. Grab the piece of molding, and pull it away from the wall to reveal the corner cracks that need caulking.

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