Painting

[diggitydot]

You likely don't even need more nails. Just gently pry it off with its nails intact, refinish, and gently tap back into place with a rubber mallet. Maybe put a rag/towel between the trim and the mallet to avoid potentially damaging what you just refinished.

[spotty_dog]

There's another ~6" stretch of baseboard between the door and vanity. I might get brave and try it on that.

[Thirteen]

Holy balls. The turn this thread has taken is making my stomach turn and my butt clench.

*hijack* I KNEW we were kindred spirits!! The letters "BC" are used around here all the time, by me, when something startles or scares me.
"Man, I just had a BC!"

[Bittersweet]

There's another ~6" stretch of baseboard between the door and vanity. I might get brave and try it on that.

Try it! We redid every inch of baseboards in our first house (I still have some PTSD symptoms ) and removing it was the easiest part.

[HouseofWool]

*fingers in ears* lalalalala I can't hear you.

Just doing Bubba's room has left me with PTSD and I have 4 more rooms to go (not counting the hallway which is staying wallpapered).

[ides]

I've totally fallen off the painting wagon since we have moved in two weeks ago. I'm still trying to decide on colors for the living room and hallways. I also need to pick colors for the bathrooms and dining room. I haven't tackled the fireplace yet either but below is a picture.

[SoonerTexan]

Pretty fireplace!

[ides]

New problem!! Or should I say problems!

So I'm prepping the livingroom to paint and it totally annoys me that the previous owners painted a bit onto the wood mantle from the wall. I have been softening the line of paint with windex then carefully scraping off. However I ended up peeling some of the latex paint off the wall. Opps. What can I do so that I don't have a line on the wall after I paint over? Should I plaster the line? Sand it? Leave it? Below is a picture.


Next issue which is a bit more scary - so I'm working my way down the side of the fireplace where of course some of the wall paint is as well. As I scrape off the paint caulk comes out from between the wall and fireplace. It just pulls right out. The wall gets a little torn too. Oops! So, now that the icky paint is off I will re-caulk the gap but which type to use? Here is a picture of what came out of the gap.


Also what should I do to repair the wall? Plaster? Here is a pic. You can see the gap here as we'll.


I'm assuming the wall is drywall under the plaster coating but it peals off like cardboard.

Advice?

[diggitydot]

I'd lightly sand the area by the mantle. Next time, take your straight razor and score between the mantle and the wall before scraping. That way, if it peels, it won't peel more than what you want.

For repairing the plaster, I'd probably use plaster. I'm not a plasterer, though. Maybe look up "how-to" videos from pros? DIY network, maybe?

The caulking isn't a big deal. Just find a multi-surface kind that is OK for brick and plaster.

[ides]

Thanks. I'll be picking up the caulk in the morning. I have some patching plaster I've used a bit. I'll check up before I slather it on though. I used my 5 in one pointy end to score the paint edge on the mantle but it was after I put the windex on. Guess I should do that before.

[HouseofWool]

I would use a utility knife to cut the seam.

[diggitydot]

You'll definitely want something a sharp blade to score it.

[HouseofWool]

And be sure to get your caulk from a hardware store. My bathroom caulk fiasco was because the tube I bought at Walmart was crap. I was too lazy to drive across town to the hardware store and I paid the price.

[diggitydot]

I would even go one better and buy it from a stand-alone paint store. The counter people can help point you in the direction of the right product.

[HouseofWool]

Not here, not enough turn over in product to ensure it is fresh.