Removing Baseboard from House with Slab Foundation
#1
01-30-18, 09:01 AM
Removing Baseboard from House with Slab Foundation
Recently purchased a house in December and are updating each room. The master bathroom is part of an addition that was built in 2004. It has two small sections of baseboard. The bathroom stay plenty warm and right now we have both closed most of the time. I would like to update the bathroom with a new vanity that is larger but the baseboard is in the way. I could probably take a few inches off the existing cover but would ideally like to remove it all together. The pipes come out of the slab. What is the best way to achieve this? Could I notch the back of the vanity? Remove the baseboard and notch the slab so the pipes would be below the floor level? I am very handy and can tackle it myself, just not sure the right way to go about doing so. I would obviously be leaving the baseboard near the toilet and the door is kept open to the master bedroom all of the time.
#2
01-30-18, 11:07 AM
d,
If those pipes come trough the slab and you have no way to get to them and you have a loop system which means one baseboard is connected to another making a loop from the supply pipe to the return and back to the boiler it cannot be eliminated without breaking the loop back to the boiler and loosing heat to the entire zone.
You can cut the casing back closer to the pipe but unless you have a way of connecting that pipe to the next piece of baseboard to keep the loop going back to the boiler there's not much that can be done.
If you did not want that piece at all you can remove the casing and fins and keep the pipe and have it run through the back of the new vanity or keep as much as you want.
Just my thought. Hope this helps a little.
If those pipes come trough the slab and you have no way to get to them and you have a loop system which means one baseboard is connected to another making a loop from the supply pipe to the return and back to the boiler it cannot be eliminated without breaking the loop back to the boiler and loosing heat to the entire zone.
You can cut the casing back closer to the pipe but unless you have a way of connecting that pipe to the next piece of baseboard to keep the loop going back to the boiler there's not much that can be done.
If you did not want that piece at all you can remove the casing and fins and keep the pipe and have it run through the back of the new vanity or keep as much as you want.
Just my thought. Hope this helps a little.
#3
01-30-18, 11:25 AM
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What I would do is remove and replace the baseboards, vanity, and fixtures. Reuse the piping that stubs up through the slab. Put in a new floor. Install a nice shower enclosure.
#4
01-30-18, 03:34 PM
If this one piece of baseboard heating is part of a series loop, you could install a straight through pipe from elbow to elbow, and a kick space heater using 2 "monoflo" tees. The straight thru piece of piping would just continue the series loop piping and the monoflo tees would provide water flow to the heater. The drawback is that you would have to provide electricity to the kickspace heater to run the fan. If you feel that you do not need this piece of baseboard for heating you could just remove the eclosure, cut off the fins and leave the bare pipe in place You would then alter the new cabinet so that it would cover and hide the remaining pipe.
#5
01-31-18, 09:18 AM
Thanks for the replies, yes it is a loop system. I have no problem notching the new vanity to have the pipe inside but it would probably end up coming in from the side and you would still see the copper pipe. I have a 4' section on the other wall so I am not worried about having to add more heat to the room. What I would really like to do is chisel the slab under the pipe, solder in two 90's and run the pipe below the floor level, fill with concrete, and then new flooring. This way you would not see it.
