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Install a Base
Installing A Three-Piece Base Is Well Worth The Extra Effort
Begin by using a stud finder to locate the studs, and mark their location on the wall with a narrow piece of painter’s tape (Photo 13). You can pull the tape off without eaving a mark. Rough-cut the baseboard about 2 in. overlong and lay the pieces along the wall. Install the longest section first and work away from the ends until you reach an opening or door. This ensures that the last cut will be a simple 90-degree cut.
In general, measure and cut each piece about 1/16 in. overlong to ensure a tight fit. If you don’t have a piece of baseboard long enough to cover the entire wall, splice two pieces with a “scarf joint”. Bow the casing slightly to fit between the walls and press it into place. This ensures a nice, tight fit. But don’t force the piece in. Trim a bit off and try the fit again.
Continue around the room butting the inside corners at 90 degrees. When you come to an outside corner, use test pieces to find exact angles (Photo 14). Nail the pieces in place using 6d finishing nails. You can also put a small amount of glue at the miters and cross-nail them with 4d finishing nails. But remember to predrill to avoid splitting the ends (Photo 16).
TIP:
If you’re adding a base cap, as we are, overcut the miter slightly, leaving the backside slightly open (Photo 16). The front side will be tight and the cap will cover the gap.
How To Shop For Trim
Stock trim is available in a wide range of styles from most lumberyards and home centers.
We chose a relatively wide (3-1/4 in.) beaded casing to go around our doors and windows. It’s 11/16 in. thick and costs $2.40 per ft. We used three components to create the base: a 1/2-in. x 3-1/4 in. “hook strip,” a 9/16-in. x 1-3/8 in. base cap, and a 7/16-in. x 3/4-in. base shoe. The three together cost $2.70 per ft. Combine other standard trim types to create wider and more detailed shapes.
If you don’t find a trim style you like or you’re trying to match a molding in an older house, look in the Yellow Pages under “Millwork.” Millwork shops can custom-produce almost any type of trim from most species of wood. Custom work, however, comes at a price; be prepared to pay as much as three times the cost of stock moldings, plus setup charges of as much as $200. In addition, you may have to wait four to eight weeks.
Most trim is made of solid wood or medium-density fiberboard with a wood veneer. Oak, pine, birch, maple and poplar are the most common types available. We chose maple for our project.
Sometimes you can find trim made of various types of plastic, most often prefinished in white, brown or simulated wood. This trim is far more stable than wood but cuts much the same, if not easier. What it lacks, however, is the warmth and varied grain pattern you can only find in real wood.
Purchase your trim in lengths long enough to cover each wall. If you can’t purchase the trim in long enough lengths, don’t worry. We'll show you how to splice two pieces to cover the length of a long wall.
The Coping Technique Simplifies The Cap Installation
Install the base cap pieces in the same order as the baseboard. However, because base cap has a curved profile, you can’t butt the inside corners. Instead, make a “coped joint” by cutting off one piece square and cutting the adjoining piece to match the profile of the molding (Photo 19). Just follow the steps in Photos 17–20 and you’ll find it’s easier than it looks. (Actually, coping is kind of fun once you get the hang of it.) Practice a few times on scrap pieces to get used to it.
Install the base shoe last. Base shoe is usually used on hard-surface floors to conceal any irregularities or gaps between the floor and the baseboard. Even if your baseboards fit perfectly tight to the floor, you can install the shoe to add another dimension to your trim. Install the shoe the same as the cap, mitering outside corners and coping inside corners (Photo 21). Be sure to nail the shoe into the baseboard, not the floor, so it won’t pull away from the baseboard when the flooring expands and contracts. Finally, set all your nails and fill them with putty. We couldn’t find a putty color to exactly match the stain we chose, so we mixed two shades together (Photo 22).
TIP:
With light-colored wood, always mix the color on the light side; darker putty stands out.
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