DIY Laminate Scotia

Scotia is nailed down with a pin nail gun.

Baseboard molding is traditionally mounted slightly above the floor at the base of the wall. In addition, laminate and other applied flooring is installed with a small gap around the edge in case of material expansion. The gap at the bottom of the baseboard and the gap at the edge of the flooring is covered with a small cove molding known as base shoe, or scotia. It is one of the simplest moldings to install.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Miter saw
• Pin nail gun

Instructions

1. Sketch the room walls on paper, drawing in each face that requires scotia, including door returns. Measure each face in the room with a tape measure. Mark the dimensions from the walls onto the sketch.

2. Make a note on each face on your drawing to indicate whether the corners are inside or outside corners. An outside corner is one where the corner folds back away from the surface; an inside corner is one where two walls run together. Add the thickness of the scotia to the dimensions on your drawing for every outside corner.

3. Mark the dimensions from your drawing onto your molding, starting with the longest piece first. Mark the direction of the end cuts. Outside corners are cut away at the end of the molding so that the front edge is longest; inside corners are cut in at the ends so that the rear edge is longest.

4. Cut your pieces with a miter saw. Set the blade 45 degrees right of center for inside corners on the right end, or outside corners on the left end, and vice versa. Position your molding on the saw as it will be against the wall, with the top edge against the fence and the bottom edge on the table.

5. Sever your molding with one smooth action for each cut. Align the blade on the right side of the mark for a right end and on the left side for a left end. Fit each piece to the section of the wall that it was cut for. Drive pin nails through the molding into the baseboard, not the floor, one nail every 8 to 10 inches.

References

• "Laminate 1-2-3"; Home Depot; 1999
• Fancy a House: How to Lay Laminate Flooring