Molding Repair

top of wall = "crown" molding
bottom of wall = "baseboard" molding

Have one of the building handymen try a little caulk and paint. Or if you're up for some adventure, try it yourself.

A little caulk, a little paint....make the carpenter what he ain't.

Spinnaker - what is the caulking part/I dont understand (sorry!)

Are the baseboards in good shape? If they weren't dirty and discolored, would they be ok? Or are they caked with old paint/cracked etc? If they are just dirty, paint them.

Bob - no dirty old, discolored. Its prewar and I dont think theyve been repaired in yrs, might even be the initial baseboards. I did some research and it seems that some ppl say remove and install new (downside being it can mess up plaster?), some ppl say sand and repaint. So I am unsure how to proceed.

Paintable caulk is used to fill small gaps/imperfections in the woodwork. For a new installation of baseboard for instance the joint between where the baseboard meets the wall will almost always require a small bead of caulk, otherwise there will likely be a visible crack where the two materials meet. The same goes for moldings (casings) around doors and windows.

no need to kill more trees to replace irreplaceable woodwork. You seem more concerned with the dirty, old, discolored part, which paint will easily fix.

no need to kill more trees to replace irreplaceable woodwork. You seem more concerned with the dirty, old, discolored part, which paint will easily fix.

What do you mean by discolored? Are they painted or just stained?
Either way, it would be better to refinish rather than replace if they are original to the building. The proportions are probably very pleasing, and new-as-old can be expensive. You don't want cheap baseboards in your pre-war apartment.

Maly - they are painted off-white color. What do ppl think about sand and repaint vs. caulk and repaint? Im thinking ripping off and installing new is a no-go.

I think you would probably end up doing a combination of sand/caulk/paint.

OK, well my handyman is coming this week so now I feel prepared to consult with him, thanks guys!