Prime Trim Installation

When used decoratively in a home, trim adds visual borders to a room's floors, ceilings, doors and windows while helping to tie all of the separate elements together. The standard method of installing trim is to miter the corners, or cut them at angles that allow them to fit tightly together. Floor trim is a basic form of trim that's present in virtually every home and is good practice for the installation of other styles of trim. Does this Spark an idea?

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Tape measure
Pencil
Prime floor trim
Miter saw
Trim nail gun

Instructions

- 1
  
  Measure from one corner of the floor out to the end of the wall.
- 2
  
  Mark out the measurement on a piece of trim with two marks along the top.
- 3
  
  Lay the trim on a miter saw, with the back of the trim up against the back rail of the saw.
- 4
  
  Move the trim to the side until one of the pencil marks is under the blade.
- 5
  
  Angle the saw's blade to 45 degrees, pointing it toward the middle of the piece of trim.
- 6
  
  Engage the saw and cut the trim.
- 7
  
  Move the trim until the second pencil mark is under the blade. Move the blade to face 45 degrees in the opposite direction as before; it should once again be pointing toward the middle of the piece. Cut it.
- 8
  
  Repeat steps 1 through 7 for each piece of trim needed for the room.
- 9
  
  Set two trim pieces along the floor below their respective walls.
- 10
  
  Butt the mitered ends tightly together in the corner. The cuts made previously should allow the pieces to join together easily.
- 11
  
  Use the nail gun to position trim nails along the top and bottom edges of both pieces; add one nail every 12 to 18 inches.
- 12
  
  Repeat for each wall.