Snap a chalk line between the marks around the perimeter of the room to show where the top edge of all the baseboards should land when they're installed. But when the dust (and fiberglass) settles, you'll enjoy a fatter bank account and more comfortable indoor temps year-round. If you are working in a room that will have carpeting, make sure to install baseboard at least 1/2-inch off the floor. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Log in. Buy Leah a cup of coffee! If you’ve ever tried to install baseboard on your own, then you would probably agree that looks can be deceiving. Installing Baseboard Next to Door Casings. How to install a bonding jumper Residential Service Thanks for watching! What Size Baseboards and How High Should I Install? Steps on How to Install Baseboard 1. To create tight fitting joints where cap molding meets at inside corners, cope the joints. Tip: "You want to cut next to the line marking the joint," says Tom. For a tight fit, use a coped joint. ... 5.2 - Position the baseboard and adjust the end to fit with the baseboard already installed on the wall. Remove the marked board and place the one that will make up the miter's other half against the adjacent wall. "Then there's room to fine-tune and get it tight.". STEP 10: Touch Up the Nail Holes and Caulk With Paint. STEP 2: Paint the Baseboards Using Semi-Gloss Paint. All too often a DIY baseboard installation is compromised by gaps or ill-fitting joints, resulting from walls that aren’t flat, floors that aren’t level, or corners that aren’t square. For inside corners, simply butt the baseboard ends together, then nail them to the wall. Where two boards meet on a straight run, make a scarf joint by mitering the ends in opposite directions at a point where there's a stud. Be careful to not leave yourself too short, though. Prior to installation, use a putty knife or paint scraper to clean excess material from the wall and floor. Align the tool's centerline with a mark and plunge-cut a slot into the face of the cut. Yes, it's a messy job. Measure and cut the baseboards for each wall. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Start running baseboard against inside corners and work toward outside corners. Then slip a biscuit into each slot on one board and bring the two boards together. Squeeze carpenter's glue into both slots and over the face of each half of the miter cut. Set your miter saw (or miter box) to 90-degrees. Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Gen II 18-Gauge Brad Nailer. Get the latest This Old House news, trusted tips, tricks, and DIY Smarts projects from our experts–straight to your inbox. If there are gaps behind the molding and no stud to nail into, squeeze a bead of construction adhesive on the back of the molding at those spots and nail the molding to the studs, as above. Starting at an inside corner, hold the first board against the wall, level it, then tack it in place with a nail or two. Happily, installing baseboard molding is a job that can be easily tackled by anyone who is comfortable wielding power tools, is able to make a few specialized saw cuts, and has a knack for accurate measurements. To determine the amount of baseboard material you need, measure each straight section of the wall and round up to the nearest whole-foot dimension divisible by two. But if he's remodeling a house graced with good-looking baseboards, he tries his best to match the new trim to what's already there. When installing baseboard and you come to a door casing, you’ll always cut the baseboard at a 90-degree straight cut. (Use a flat rasp or file for square edges. Greater flexibility means greater success when trying to fit baseboard snugly against an uneven wall. All rights reserved. Next, at each stud location, hammer two 8d finish nails through the board, at a slight downward angle, near its top and bottom edges. Finish shaping contoured portions of the cut with a half-round rasp. Do everything you can to make the trim fit tightly, but when you can’t, it’s okay to fill small gaps with caulk prior to priming and paint. In this review, we’ll help you find the right holiday gift for your carpenter by detailing 15 of the best carpentry tools and accessories available on Amazon. If you’re working on a project that involves wooden furniture or paneling, you’ll likely find yourself facing an important decision at the end: varnish or polyurethane for the finish? Set your compass points to span the vertical distance between the chalk line and either of the board's top corners. « How to Remove Wood Scratches on Furniture and Kitchen Cabinets, Installing a Staircase Handrail at My Basement Stairs ». Copyright © 2020 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. With a circular saw set for a 2- to 5-degree bevel, cut alongside the scribe line so the face of the cut will be on the side toward the wall. For a clean mitered corner, it’s a good idea to cut your baseboard about 1/16–inch longer than necessary. Your email address will not be published. Where two caps meet on a long wall, make a scarf joint as described in Step 8. The marks should be equidistant from each other and from the edges of the board. To avoid marking the wood, use a nail set to drive the heads just below the wood surface. Fortunately, it's easy to replace modern moldings with taller, thicker, two- or three-part baseboards. Copyright © 2020 This Old House Ventures, LLC. Can Baseboards Be the Same Color at the Wall? How to Install a Plinth Block at a Door Molding and Baseboard. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. When starting from scratch, Tom Silva prefers the look of a base that's at least 6 inches high and ½ to ¾ inches thick, topped with a separate, deeply profiled cap molding. All too often a DIY baseboard installation is compromised by gaps or ill-fitting joints, resulting from walls that aren’t flat, floors that aren’t level, or corners that aren’t square. Photo: diynetwork.com. I'd like to receive the free email course. Then nail the molding to the wall between the studs to hold it in place until the adhesive sets. Don’t replace those drafty old windows, here’s how to weatherstrip your double hung windows instead. Number the back of each board and write that same number on the wall where the board will go. Well, not exactly. Doing so ensures a tight fit by enabling you to “spring” the next board into position. Standard 3/8-inch baseboard is a lot more flexible than 3/4 or 5/8. Whereas a coped joint is recommended for inside corners, a mitered joint is appropriate for outside corners. Using the top of this baseboard piece as a benchmark, make horizontal marks every few feet at the same level on the walls around the room. On inside corners, where the molding meets at the inside of wall corners, you can cut the baseboard with square ends only if the molding is flat-faced and has no profiled edge. When using a cap molding, place it on the base to see if the back of the molding fits snugly against the wall. Measure and cut the baseboards for each wall. At that point, tack a scrap piece of baseboard to the wall with a nail. It will look something like this: with one end butted up against the door casing. Running baseboard is also good for perfecting carpentry skills. Prep Work: Measure, Number and Mark Photo by Craig Raine. Do the same thing at the next mark. Mark the same way. Sometimes Tom will get lucky and locate the profile he needs from the 100 or so that good millwork shops keep in stock. What Style of Baseboard Should I Install? Now go check your email for those freebies! Without changing the spread of the compass's legs, hold the pencil on the baseboard and the point against the floor. Tip: Studs are usually placed 16 inches on-center, so after locating the first one you may be able to locate others using a tape measure. Carpentry projects call for a unique set of tools that can help woodworkers make intricate cuts, carve special patterns, and ensure the quality of their design. Between these nails, drive a 4d finish nail through the joint and into the end grain of the opposite piece. Installing Baseboard Only to an Edge Trim the beveled edge down to the line with a block plane. Baseboards were often three-piece affairs consisting of a flat plank, a decorative cap molding, and a rounded shoe molding to cover gaps along the floor.
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