Transform Your Space: Installing Baseboards the Right Way

Prime and paint first

Measure the linear feet of the walls to be installed with baseboard.  To be safe with your calculations and account for any bad cuts, always purchase 10% more material than measured to avoid returning to the store for more.

Painting your baseboards before you install them will make the whole job easier. Once painted and installed, touchups to cover nail holes and caulk will be faster than taping off and painting the entire baseboard on the ground on your hands and knees.

Apply a primer first, as it will help your paint job look better and last longer. Then, use a self-leveling or cabinet-grade enamel paint and apply it with a foam roller. Regular paint and regular paint rollers will leave a texture and brush marks.

Make a cut list

To avoid confusion, notate your cut list in the order you are going to install baseboards. Strategize by starting at a doorway opening and working your way around the room. As you take notes on your measurements, the more detailed you are, the more efficient you will be. Your cut list should include three important items: the length of the piece of baseboard, what kind of cut you need on each end, and the degrees if your room has unique angles. Camouflage seams in the middle of a wall by joining them with a 45-degree angle rather than butting the pieces together. This helps the baseboard pieces seam into themselves, making the joint less noticeable.

It is easy to get confused about inner and outer corners. Decide how you want to take notes and be consistent. Feel free to draw out the angles for each cut. It is much easier to do so and visually see it than to try to decipher inner and outer cuts with measurements.

Tip: To get accurate measurements on outside corners, use two scrap pieces of baseboard with mitered ends on the actual corner, then take your measurement from where this piece will start to the corner. This will also help you determine if the corner is truly a 90-degree corner and allow you to adjust accordingly.

Cut the baseboards

To maximize your materials’ yield, cut longer pieces first. Then, use your cut-offs to work your way down your cut list in diminishing measurements, ending with the smallest pieces cut last.

To stay organized, keep separate piles for each wall in the room, and feel free to label the back of the baseboard to keep track of which piece is which.  If numbers help, create numbers on your cut list and label them on the back of each baseboard. Use whatever system works best for you but stay consistent to avoid confusion.

Cut the baseboards either standing up against the fence of your miter saw (if your saw has the height) or lying flat on the bed—whichever you feel most comfortable with to produce precise miter cuts.

Clean up the wall and floor

To ensure the baseboard is installed flush against the wall and floor, use a utility knife or paint scraper to remove loose plaster, old caulk or dried paint drips along the wall and edge of the floor. You don’t want any debris or bumps to get in the way of a smooth fit between your baseboard and wall or floor.

Dry fit before nailing in

To ensure accuracy, dry-fit your cut baseboards along the wall. This will ensure all the cut baseboards fit and connect well and give you an opportunity to make any final adjustments if needed.

Nail the baseboards to the wall

Use 2-in., 18-gauge brad nails to ensure the baseboard is connecting to the framing of the wall. I prefer 18-gauge brad nails to 16-gauge nails because they make smaller holes, which makes the finishing touches of filling holes with filler and paint touchups less challenging.

To camouflage seams cut in the middle of a wall, join them at a 45-degree angle. This helps the baseboard pieces seam into themselves, making the joint less noticeable.

Fill the nail holes

Use a nail set and a hammer to ensure the heads of the nails are set below the surface of the baseboard. Fill all the nail holes slightly overfilling them with wood filler so that they have room to shrink. After the filler has dried, lightly sand it flush using fine-grit sandpaper.

Caulk the corners and seams

Use paintable caulk to fill in corners, seams and any gaps along the wall at the top edge where the baseboard meets the wall. Caulk will conform to wall imperfections, and because it is flexible, it is less likely to crack over time. With painter’s caulk, cleanup is easier, drying time is faster, and adhesion is better.

Touch up the paint

Apply a light coat of paint over the caulk and filled nail holes to create a seamless look.

FAQ

Which is correct, coping or mitering baseboard corners?

Opting to cope your baseboard corners depends on two factors: the type of material being used and whether you are staining or painting them. The only reason I would consider using cope joints is if I am using a hardwood species that will be stained, and if the baseboard has an intricate profile. If my baseboard is MDF, primed fingerboard, or common board, I would go with a straightforward 45-degree miter cut and caulk my corners and seams.

Can I butt join corners instead of making them mitered?

Yes, you can only get away with using a butt joint in the corners when it is a square baseboard that will be painted. Once corners on baseboard are installed, painted and caulked, you can hardly tell it is a mitered cut or a butt joint. Butt joints in corners will not work if your baseboard has a profile.

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The post Transform Your Space: Installing Baseboards the Right Way appeared first on Family Handyman.

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