We had known that they were loose even before we moved in. Our painter had alerted us to them and told us that it wasn't really a problem, we just had to attach them again using drywall screws.
1.5 years later, nagawa rin namin. And if I have not mentioned how slow we are yet, yep, we are slow. Kaya lang rin namin inasikaso na agad because one section had already fallen off because Swe-cha keeps stepping on them so he can climb onto the bay windows (he loves to look outside from this spot). If we didn't get it fixed right away, the heating element inside could get damaged.
As it turns out, it wasn't so difficult. We kept putting it off because we didn't think it was going to be this easy - the baseboard cover was made of some sheet-metal material and we were anxious about punching holes in it (baka mahirap). As it turns out, we found some videos on You Tube that showed how to do it, easy lang if you have the tools.
a) Look for studs in the wall, this is important. The reason why they were falling off in the first place was that they weren't anchored to studs. The baseboard covers were just screwed onto the drywall so the screws worked themselves loose over time. I suspect that all the other baseboards are attached like that as well, but since they aren't in high traffic areas, they're still secure.
We used our stud finder to locate the studs and marked their locations with tape.
c) Then we got All-Purpose construction screws. These ones we got are rated for wood, concrete, metal and drywall.
While purchasing screws, I realized how much variety there is - there's a whole wall of them in our local home depot. It also occurred to me how expensive they could be. For exeample, we paid $3 for 15 of these screws - that's roughly P8 / screw = 4 pandesals (nagtakam tuloy ako bigla while I was doing the math), kaya wag sayangin!
The next bigger pack of drywall screws (not all-purpose ones) cost $8 for a 1-lb box, not sure how many screws are there. We didn't need that much so it does not make sense to get a 1 lb box.
I've never really had a need to buy screws when we were still in Manila (home projects were overseen by Dad, he took care of everything) but are they that expensive in the Philippines as well ? No wonder, Dad has a habit of picking up loose screws and nails that he sees anywhere and then saving them. I picked up this habit from him too so I have a jar of orphan screws I picked up and don't really have to buy unless I need more than a few. Needless to say, I did recover and save the loose drywall screws that were used to attach the baseboard covers originally.
d) and then just because I like being sigurista, I also got a pack of washers (30 zinc washers for $1.xx).
We secured 3 sections of baseboard heaters in the living room this afternoon before our drill ran out of juice and had to be recharged. I did an inspection and looks like we still have 1 section left to do in the dining room.
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