That kind of trim is going to look (more) bad with quarter round.
I'd remove that old/dated trim, and replace with fresh clean painted trim that will better coordinate with both laminate and carpet.
Virtually any modern trim you put in will be taller, and hide any paint globbing or whatever at the top of the old trim.
If you're removing the base yourself, a trim puller spreads the prying force, making it easier to remove the trim without damaging your walls.
Wow, crown molding over acoustic ceiling tiles that's a new one to me! Why in the world wouldn't they have just used drywall and everything would be nice?
The only way to find out is to demo it, and the closet is a good test case.
Hopefully you can save the walls from much damage. Cut the caulk on the crown, and use a trim puller rather than a pry bar, it distributes the pressure and helps avoid damage. I have this one.
If you do get wall damage, and depending on how high your real ceiling is, you could consider reinstalling a larger crown to cover it.
Pro tip #4: Use this pry bar. Pry side-to-side, not up/down, unless you want to put a hole in your drywall.
https://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Industries-ZN700001-Trim-Puller/dp/B01572REP4
You need one of these for trim : Zenith Industries ZN700001 Trim Puller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01572REP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IgaBFbTKXZJXC it has a built in raised bevel that effortlessly separates the trim from the wall.
I find these very useful.
https://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Industries-ZN700001-Trim-Puller/dp/B01572REP4
I’ve definitely heard that before...
Me and my friends always laugh when we see this tool.
Get one of these to remove the trim. It also pulled nails. I have one and used it on two houses now and it does wonders. Almost no broken drywall at all. One os the issues is that people caulk the top of the trim, so make sure you use a utility knife (get lots of blades) to cut the caulking along the top of the trim.
I don't think that's water damage from the photos (which is a good thing), just a lot of mechanical damage. The baseboards may have been reinstalled several times.
If your walls were smooth I'd simply cut out a section and insert new drywall and tape/mud.
But with the texture, and most of it the damage being covered by baseboard so you don't need it to be too sturdy... I'd try to minimize the patching.
I'd slip some thin boards behind there adhered to the back of the wallboard with construction adhesive, and/or with screws through existing drywall where it's sound.
Then fill the hole with hot mud (the kind mixed with powder). Get the 20-minute set time stuff so you don't have to wait too long between coats.
For the first, coat, press/mix it into the crumbled edges with gloved fingers. Depending how solid things are, maybe let that set up before proceeding.
Continue filling with another coat or two, then match the texture on the top coat where it will be visible.
If I'm envisioning it correctly, only that top of the mountain hole will be visible, so if you get the texture anywhere close it should be fine once painted.
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BTW, for future baseboard removal, be sure to cut any caulk first, then use a trim removal tool to spread the pressure when prying.
I have this one, which is also available at Home Depot:
Pros around me routinely do shoe moulding rather than pull baseboard... I don't think they'd even offer the option unless specifically asked.
But yeah if you don't mind the expense and time, new baseboard is nice, especially if yours is old and beat up.
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You mentioned going fancier which is presumably taller, so if you're careful removing the old you shouldn't create any drywall work.
Cut through the caulk line and be sure the drywall paper isn't tearing upward when you pull the trim.
A trim puller is a no-brainer investment on this much trim. It spreads prying force over a larger area, so you are much less likely to crunch the drywall than with a flat wrecking bar.
This is the one I have:
https://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Industries-ZN700001-Trim-Puller/dp/B01572REP4/
If you can't replace the drywall right now, there are some relatively cost-effective things you can do to help in the interim. Unfortunately, if the prior owners were hoarders and you smell it everywhere, then you will probably have to do this on every ceiling and wall of the house. There's a lot of elbow grease involved. Here's what I would try if I were you:
Remove baseboards from walls. I've used a trim puller to great success in this process myself and removed the baseboards without damaging any of the boards OR the walls. Much better than a crowbar. Here's what I used, though there are a bunch out there: Trim Puller.
Check baseboards for mold. If you see nothing, you can spray the back of the baseboards with Concrobium as a double check. If you smell mold when you do this, then you have mold. Concrobium destroys the cell wall of mold, so you will smell mold if you hit it with the stuff. You will not if you hit a mold-free surface. I've used concrobium not only to kill mold, but also to help me determine where the microscopic spores are in the first place. If the baseboards have mold, either replace (expensive) or clean/refinish them (time-consuming).
-If you're up for it, patch holes and cracks in the walls now. Use spackle and a couple putty knives to stuff it in. Once it dries, sand the walls smooth. A Drywall pole sander like this is a very helpful tool and will save you a lot of time and energy when sanding walls.
-Clean ceilings and walls with a TSP substitute wash to remove oil and other residue off walls. This may also help with the smell by itself.
-You can paint over the primer now or wait until you've settled on colors. It's okay to leave the primer as-is.
You're welcome!
Here's what I did with my chimney chase. It's just aluminum with fire-rated caulking and I tacked a few small nails to hold it in place while the caulk was curing. The goal is to make it air-tight and fire safe.
Personally, I don't see a benefit to adding plastic underneath (the sealed aluminum already creates the air-barrier) or XPS on top. The top-side is your attic, so it's already unconditioned, and the bottom side is 10+ feet below. But, if you want to do both, it probably(?) won't hurt. :)
I've had luck with a Trim Puller in lifting heavy boards that you might want to keep. This will do a minimal amount of damage but lift the board slightly, at least enough to get a pry bar underneath.
Cheers!
The Zenith does a good job, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Industries-ZN700001-Trim-Puller/dp/B01572REP4
I would buy a 'trim puller' that you can use a hammer if necessary to force it down and behind the baseboard
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01572REP4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
If your still having problems - decision time. Would it be easier to repair the plaster wall or replace the baseboard?
Well - you know, I understand that a lot of the folks on here are pure pros who operate under a "best practices" policy and want everybody to do the same. I get it. I really do. Unfortunately, a lot of folk who are posting on here looking for advice etc. are homeowners trying to deal with this crap on their days off when they have little or no energy - and literally trying to get by doing the job with the minimum amount of effort. That's not to say no effort - that's to say that they have a job they want to accomplish and they want it to be successful - but they don't want to subscribe to every last finicky little detail that people who do this for a living may pay attention to. Two totally different worlds.
We have done two rooms in our house so far - one bedroom and one bathroom. Both were painted in the same, hideous, dark semi-gloss. In neither room did we sand. It turned out great using a decent quality paint (Sherwin Williams SuperPaint and Sherwin Williams Emerald).
I guess if I were looking to paint a kitchen where it had been used for large amounts of grease-heavy cooking where I could confirm that there was some degree of grease buildup, I MIGHT see where you could want to pole-sand the whole room. But for most homeowners looking to quickly change the color of their current rooms in a normal household setting - even over semi-gloss - this is not necessary in my experience. Clean the walls using a SMALL amount of soapy water (a bucket and sponge-style mop works well), and then repeat the process with clean water to rinse it (it helps to have a second person wiping the walls down with a rag towel at this point to get all the scum off that may be dislodged), ensure that your mop/towels haven't left any kind of fibers on the walls, let it dry over a few days (don't get the walls excessively wet) and then paint the freaking things.
Oh - also a good hack/tip - just take your baseboards off and refinish them in the garage/driveway. It is NOT worth the time to paint around baseboards - and if yours are anything like ours, they will be so gunked up with other people's stupid baseboard glue/caulk and dented and dinged - you're far better off just removing them. Get you a Zenith trim puller from Amazon and watch some YouTube videos on the best ways to remove them.
Here is a link to Amazon Australia, you can buy Zenith Trim Puller from it directly.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Zenith-Industries-ZN700001-Trim-Puller/dp/B01572REP4
Ed
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