Handy DIY Tips For Replacing Trim & Baseboards, According To TikTok

Normal use, pets, and cleaning can damage door trim and baseboards. Though you may be unhappy about the damage, understand that trims protect your plaster or drywall, hide construction chaos, and seal gaps. Unprotected drywall will be crushed or punctured by an impact powerful enough to ding your baseboards. Your beloved Labrador's bite marks on your door trim could instead be a massive hole in your wall. So, embrace the damaged trim with good cheer. It did its job, and with helpful DIY tips, you can replace it.

Before you head to the hardware store, you must decide whether to match your current trim or change it. You can explore whether wooden baseboards are the best choice for your home or consider PVC or MDF alternatives. Replacing your traditional rounded or stepped baseboards with flat baseboards is a popular choice for builders and home flippers since flat trim is cheaper and easier to cut, but you have many style options to choose from. Be sure you love the flat look and that it matches your home's style before changing it. If you want to replace your baseboards but aren't ready to change your whole home's trim, consider whether a mismatch in one area will bother you. After you choose your trim, TikTok's DIY creators have tips to help you gather the right tools and products to remove, cut, and affix your trim. They'll also show you how to mark wall studs, hide nails, fill holes, and seal seams.

In 53 seconds, home-improvement guru Ashley French, @mrsashleyfrench on TikTok, shows us how to remove and replace baseboards and door trim. The video doesn't explain how to cut baseboard corners like a pro or give the best tips for painting trim, but it can help you gather the right tools and products to get started. French didn't have time to share all the featured products' details, so we found the tools for you.

To remove baseboards and door trim, she starts with Zenith's Trim Puller, available at Lowe's for just under $25. Its wide, flat surface distributes prying force, eliminating the need to place a wood block behind your pry bar to protect walls. Next, she cuts the trim with a compound miter saw Ryobi sells for $229. If you don't want to invest in a power saw or aren't as brave facing sharp, spinning blades as French, you could go old school and use a miter box and hand saw. For trim up to 4 5/8 inches, you can buy a human-powered Stanley miter box and saw from Amazon for around $34.

Then, to close seams where molding meets molding and fill nail holes, French uses DAP's DryDex Spackling & Nail Hole Filler — you can find it at Ace Hardware for under $10. She also seals gaps where trim meets drywall with DAP's Alex Flex sealant, which you can find at Walmart for around $6.

Bart Komar's (@komarproject) video focuses on installing trim and finishing it with professional results. Two of his tips are keepers! He flies by the first, but it's a significant hack that deserves a pause and review. Before replacing his baseboards, he marks the position of wall studs on the floor with painter's tape. Without obstructions, he can accurately identify their locations. When he nails the baseboards into place, he knows he's attaching them to solid wood. If he adds vertical trim, he'll know where the supports are without needing a stud finder.

His next valuable tip is using a nail punch to "make sure that the head of the nail head is below the surface of the board." This simple step prevents nails from catching on clothes as you pass by or sticking up and ruining your finish. Exposed nails can also rust if you don't seal them with filler or paint. You can find a nail punch at any hardware store or get three from Harbor Freight for about $4.

Komar and French use the same DAP products for sealing and filling. One reason both products are popular is their flexibility. If your house shifts or something warps, these products won't crack. If you live in earthquake country or an area notorious for shifting foundations, flexible products can help avoid repeat repairs. Using these handy tools and products with next-level DIY tips from TikTok, you can confidently replace your trim and baseboards.