How to Install Hardwood Flooring Trim

Flooring trim sits around the edges of the floor, dressing out the joint between the floor and the wall. It varies in style from simple to ornate, and can come in all kinds of materials. Hardwood is a common material for flooring trim, particularly in rooms with hardwood floors. You can finish the trim after installation, but it's easier to do it beforehand (or to buy it pre-finished).

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Miter saw
• Trim nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Measure one wall from the corner to the end, at floor level, using a tape measure. Mark out the measurement on a piece of floor trim, with two pencil marks at the top of the piece.

2. Stand the trim on a miter saw in the position it will stand against the wall. Move it so one of the marks is under the blade.

3. Turn the blade to 45 degrees pointing inward, so it points toward the middle of the piece of trim. Make the cut.

4. Slide the trim so the other mark is under the blade. Turn the blade 45 degrees in the other direction. It will again be pointing toward the middle of the trim. Make the cut.

5. Follow the same procedure to measure and cut trim for the remaining walls in the room.

6. Secure the trim to the walls with a hammer and trim nails, putting the nails along the upper and lower edges of the trim every 10 inches or so. The mitered cuts at the ends of the boards will meet in the corners.

Tips & Warnings

• For outside corners, which extend into the room, set your miter saw to cut 45 degrees outward rather than inward.

References

• Install Molding: Using a Miter Saw