How to Cut & Install Baseboard Trim

Baseboard molding softens the join between floor and wall.

Baseboard trim is molding that finishes off and hides the rough edges where wall and floor meet. It provides a protective barrier to the bottom surfaces of wallboard and plaster walls, and is essential for covering the edges of floating floors.Typically made of wood, baseboard molding comes in simple straight boards or intricately detailed tall moldings. If you have basic home improvement knowledge you can install your own baseboard trim.

Things You'll Need

• Tape Measure
• Miter saw
• Coping saw
• Stud finder
• Pencil
• Finishing nails
• Nail set
• Wood putty
• Caulk
• Caulk gun
• Paint or stain
• Paint brush

Instructions

Installation

1. Measure the length of the first wall and determine if you need an inside or an outside cut at the end of it. If the wall protrudes into the room and the molding wraps around the corner, it's an outside cut. If the wall ends in a corner and meets another wall, it's an inside corner.

2. Cut the first piece of baseboard molding to size. Trim the end for the appropriate corner.

3. Locate the studs in the wall and mark the locations with a pencil mark on the wall.

4. Hold the baseboard molding into position and nail into the studs. Use a nail set to countersink the nails below the surface of the baseboard molding.

5. Measure the next section of baseboard molding and cut to size. Cut the end according to inside or outside corner requirements. Hold it into position and nail it into the studs.

6. Fill the nail holes with wood putty.

7. Caulk along the top of the baseboard molding to fill gaps between the baseboard and the walls, and caulk the corners.

8. Touch up the putty and caulked areas with paint or stain.

Inside corners

1. Cut a section of baseboard at a left side 45-degree angle with a miter saw.

2. Saw a back angle with a coping saw, by cutting away the the wood so the baseboard molding is a sharp edge with no wood behind it.

3. Position the mitered baseboard over the top of the baseboard installed flush to the wall and tap it forcefully into place so it fits snugly into the corner.

Outside corners

1. Set the miter saw to 45 degrees on the left side to cut the right-hand outside corner piece of baseboard molding.

2. Turn the miter saw to 45 degrees on the right side to cut the left-hand outside corner of the baseboard molding.

3. Fit the two sections together to wrap the corner in molding.

Tips & Warnings

• Create corner pieces templates for inside and outside corners and label to use as guides to set the miter saw.

• Rent a nail gun to make installation faster.

• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions and wear appropriate safety goggles when using a miter saw.

References

• Dewalt:How to Cut Base Board With a Dewalt Miter Saw
• Home Remodel Workshop: Easy Baseboard Inside Corner
• Home Improvements Depot:How To Install Baseboard Molding

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish