So, I accidently flooded my bath. The skirting boards around the sink and wood that boxes around the sink have become damp which has now dried out but the wood has cracked and I suppose that it's become warped. Now, I'm not sure how to deal with this as this wood is attached to the plasterboard wall. By removing this wood and replacing it I fear that I might damage the plasterboard wall.Any advice on how to tackle this? I kind of want some advice before I look into calling someone out
I had the same problems when renovating an old house. Your best option would be to use an impact adhesive such as 'No more nails'. At first, I had mixed results and found it best to support the skirting while the adhesive is drying. Nail a block to the floor close to the skirting and tap a wedge into the gap. Repeat roughly every six feet - works a treat.
Those skirting boards as you call them were originally installed to act as a support for when the plasterers floated out the walls with plaster. You can go ahead and replace whatever is bad with new boards. The plaster will not fall off the wall, when you do this. You are fine! Understand that pre-1978 buildings with plaster have asbestos fibers in them. They are know to cause cancer. You need to specially CONTAIN the area and were special protection when doing this work. DO NOT CONTAMINATE OTHER AREAS OF THE HOUSE.
With a sharp razor knife, score along the top edge of the base trim. Take a wide putty knife and force it between the plaster and the base trim. Try to gently pry the trim away from the wall using the putty knife. If the trim won't pry away, take a flat profile pry bar and wedge the bar between the putty knife and the trim. Use the putty knife as the pivot point for the flat bar so that the plaster isn't excessively damaged. If the plaster does crack, you can use a wider profile base trim to help cover the damaged areas.
