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Just moved into my home last summer. Previous owners painted the trim on baseboards and got REALLY sloppy with wall paints onto the stained trim thoughout the first floor. The ceiling/chair-rails trim, stair railings, and fireplace mantle (which is floor to ceiling dark stone) and doors are stained on the entire first floor only. They also installed hard wood floors in the kitchen/dining/hall foyer. If I stripped the baseboards to restain how would I do so with no damage to the hardwood flooring? Would painting be easier in the long run? I want my house to blend room to room on the appropriate floors. The upstairs is ALL painted and the basement office as well. I like the look of painted trim as it appears cleaner and more spacious. I also like the traditional look of stained trim if it's in good shape. HELP!!! Any designers out there?
I'm not really clear from your message whether the baseboards are currently painted, or if they just had some paint slopped on them through carelessness. If they are painted, the best thing to do will be to remove the baseboards, strip and stain them, then put them back. But if the paint is just a few drips here and there then it's not worth prying up all the baseboards, you could try finding a gel stripper (3M made one a couple years ago, I'm sure they or somebody else still does). Then apply it carefully with a q-tip or small paintbrush right on the spots where the paint is that needs to be removed, the gel won't drip like liquid stripper would. Or you could maybe sand/scrape it off too.
Yes the baseboards are painted. There are even some drops of paint on the new hardwood floor where they painted the quarter-round moulding. I believe they painted it due to the mismatch of stains on the old and new, or maybe they were just lazy and didn't want to tape off and do it right. Doesn't make it easier for a perfectionist like me. I don't look forward to trying to pry off all the baseboards in the dining/kitchen/ and hall, but it may be the best way unless anyone has a better solution.
