Sags Between Joists Are Common In Older Homes And Even In New Installations It Can Be Difficult To Get The Floors Perfectly Flat And Smooth
How to install quarter round molding. Hold the nail so it is parallel to the floor. Some flooring pros measure each wall, make a cutting list, and cut all the molding simultaneously. Quarter round will always be cut at an angle, usually 45 degrees.
The problem with coping quarter round is that it has rounded edges that dont allow for traditional woodworking joints, such as miter or butt joints. Before starting the installation process, clean the place where you will install the quarter round. Try to use a single piece to mount to a wall.
Quarter round molding comes in whole pieces from 6 to 12 ft in length. It is durable, does not have imperfections like wood, easy to install, and looks great! We renovated mom’s house, including installation of vinyl plank flooring.
Quarter round moldings are installed against the existing baseboard. To understand the differences, you should know their similarities. Quarter round molding is used in many different applications, from the classic crown molding application to baseboard.
The purpose is usually caused by two reasons. One is the actual hardwood installation needs space to expand and contract. Then, brush the corners area and wipe along the wall edges of the room to get rid of dirt and debris.
We recently added vinyl plank flooring in our basement and will be Shoe molding vs quarter round. Cope and stick quarter round molding can be a challenge to install.
In doing so a gap is created with a need for covering.
Preparing To Install Baseboards
- Bring the boards into the room where you’ll be installing them a few days before you start. This will help them acclimate to their new environment.
- Measure and cut the baseboards for each wall. For the boards that meet outside corners, cut them a few inches longer than the wall to allow for miter cuts.
- Paint the baseboards and let them dry.
- Find and mark the wall studs.
Nail On The Cap Molding
- When using a cap molding, place it on the base to see if the back of the molding fits snugly against the wall. Secure it at each stud with an 8d nail driven at a slight downward angle through the thicker parts of the molding.
- If there are gaps behind the molding and no stud to nail into, squeeze a bead of construction adhesive on the back of the molding at those spots and nail the molding to the studs, as above. Then nail the molding to the wall between the studs to hold it in place until the adhesive sets.
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What Size Baseboards And How High Should I Install
How tall your baseboards are depends on the height of your ceiling, actually. If youre blessed to have 9-foot ceilings or higher, you could go with a wider baseboard . In my basement with 8 feet ceilings, which is the standard ceiling height, a 3 and 1/4 wide baseboard trim would work well.
Anything higher on an 8 foot ceiling wouldnt look proportional to the height of the wall/ceiling. Just remember: the higher your ceilings, the higher the baseboards you can install. You can even add a layer of trim inches above your baseboard to create the illusion of taller baseboards.
Should Baseboard Be Level Or Follow The Floor
The million-dollar question you might be asking right now is the one above, and there is only one answer the baseboard should always be level.
While you could follow the floor to make installation easier, the upper edge of the baseboard would look all wavy against the wall. In other words, if guests and potential buyers wouldnt notice the uneven floors without the baseboard, a molding that follows the floor would give away the defect at a glance.
Sure, installing a level baseboard on uneven floors requires not only skills and concentration but also a way to deal with the gaps. Thats where caulking comes in. Once you fill the gaps and paint the baseboard, the finish will give your room a neat look and make your floors look even.
With this in mind, lets find out how to install the baseboard and give a 5-star appearance to your interior.
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Other Common Materials Include:
PVC Also known as vinyl trim, it is an excellent choice for wet areas like bathrooms. However, it is difficult to paint, and you must pre-drill every nail hole as it is brittle and can crack.
MDF Its a popular option because it is economical and easy to use. MDF is very soft, comes pre-primed so even a novice DIYer can install it. Another advantage of MDF is that it is mold and fungus resistant.
Tropical or Specialty Hardwoods As with any custom option, this can be costly. However, if you want to match the specific wood species of the floor, it is a viable option.
Along with the right material, youll need to select the right shape. Here are the common types or shapes of molding youll find:
- Quarter Round Usually ¾ tall x ¾ deep, you can also find ¾ tall x ½ deep
- Base Cap Molding This is a generic term used to describe what is a curvy version of quarter round molding. Some installers and DIYers use a 1×6 or 1×8 as the baseboard then cap it with a decorative base cap.
- Shoe Molding This type has a slightly narrower profile than a rectangular board. It is somewhat tapered and usually has decorative curves on the top and bottom. Its only about 7/16 in. wide and 4 ¾ in. to 7 7/8 in. tall. This molding has a sleeker look and combines the height of a baseboard with the decorative features of the cap and quarter round.
If baseboards aren’t thick enough to cover the gap, an addition of a shoe molding or quarter round at the bottom can do the trick.
Inside Corners: Coping With Pain Or Mitre And Run
Inside corners are the most common in a home. Most regular rooms have four inside corners. There are two ways to cut molding for inside corners: coping and 45/45 mitres. Lets start with the easier of the two: 45/45 mitres.
Method One: 45/45 mitre cuts join baseboard by cutting opposing 45 degree angles into the baseboard. These joints can look perfect if the wall makes an exact 90 degree angle or is really, really close to it and you have a very good mitre saw.
If the wall isnt 90 degrees, a 45/45 cut will leave a big gap, or it simply wont fit. It is possible to use a sliding protractor to measure the exact angle of a wall and adjust the mitre angle to compensate, but this can be tedious.
With this method, paintable caulk is used to close any apparent gaps. Note that since caulk is a primary ingredient in this method, it isnt the best approach for stained baseboard. For stained baseboard, cope cutting provides better results. Read here for more thoughts about painting vs. staining molding.
Heres a picture of a 45/45 cut going into place on an inside corner.
If you use the 45/45 method, it can be helpful to cut the wood just slightly long and bend it into place (this is easier if youre using contractor grade materials built from MDF.
And finally, heres the finished product :
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Prep Work: Measure Number And Mark
- Measure and cut the baseboards for each wall. Boards that meet outside corners should be a few inches longer than the wall to allow for miter cuts.
- Number the back of each board and write that same number on the wall where the board will go.
- Find and mark the studs in the wall they’ll serve as the firm base for nailing the baseboard.
Tip:Studs are usually placed 16 inches on-center, so after locating the first one you may be able to locate others using a tape measure. On older homes, verify locations with a nail.
What Style Of Baseboard Should I Install
Theres no right or wrong answer here. It really just depends on your unique style. If youre traditional, more traditional baseboards are the way to go. If you like modern clean lines, then baseboards that are more flat and simple look best. You can buy baseboards from the lumber department at The Home Depot.
The other day I stopped in to The Home Depot and snapped a shot of their In-Stock Molding . There are tons of options of moldings, including ceiling crown molding, door and windows, floor, general purpose, and wall and trim.
If you look specifically at their floor molding , youll see that there are several options. But dont let those options limit you. You can install baseboards and add additional wall and trim to make it fancy or unique.
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Where Do You Use A T Molding
Hardwood and laminate floors require at least a 1¼ inch gap to allow for natural expansion and contraction due to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity. Covering this gap to create a trip-free, transition that is visually appealing is the job of T-molding.
Although the most common transition for T-molding is doorways, another function of T-molding is joining hardwood floors in large areas. Long runs of hardwood floors need to allow for expansion and contraction. Any floor longer than 40 feet should have an expansion gap, and this is where a T-molding would do the job.
Apply Your Adhesive In The Proper Way
How you apply your adhesive determines how well it adheres to the wall. The way you apply the adhesive might differ if using baseboard pieces or rolls.
Generally, though, you should always leave a quarter inch space at the top of your base piece so the adhesive doesnt ooze onto the wall surface. Applying the adhesive can be done in any direction, but make sure you know where the top side of each piece is.
Once you have enough adhesive applied, place the board piece or roll to the base of your wall. Use a small hand roller over the board surface to make sure the piece sticks solidly. Roll in the direction from your adhesive application starting point to ensure you dont stretch the base.
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Dealing With Inside Corners
The best way to ensure a smooth baseboard look for inside corners is to overlap the last piece of board material by once inch.
Place another scribe line on the end of the piece so you can cut it to size. Now you can give a finished look to your baseboard along inside corners by looking like one continuous roll.
Gaps And Crooked Walls
Sometimes a wall is crooked due to a misaligned stud, settling, or poor drywall installation. Its rare that every baseboard will fit snug against a wall or in the corners. If youve tried some of the techniques above and still have gaps, your last remedy is to fill them with caulk or a wood filler. Follow the manufacturers instructions for use and clean up. You can paint it the color of the baseboard or the wall for a professional look.
this was done last night. still needs some work – wood filler in the small gaps and stuff. since my house is old, many of the walls are crooked so some of the “boards” are not perfectly aligned! but i can make them so they’re not noticeable 🙂
reaux
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Fill Up Every Uneven Gap
Now, fill the gaps in your vinyl wall with a special paintable caulk that will stick like crazy. Yet, skip this stage if you use a concrete or brick foundation because it is not as flexible and may cover up any unevenness from those materials.
Fill in all those pesky gaps with your favorite weapon: your caulk gun!
Wear gloves and dip your finger into the bowl of water to smooth out any bumps or ridges on top of it. This will be more effective if you run that wet digit along each seam, paying attention not just where theres caulk but also near other areas!
Using wall spackling to paint over cracks and holes in your walls is also a good idea. Its there will be no chance of shrinkage or cracking!
Additionally, do not forget to sand down any uneven areas, as this will make sure everything looks perfect before moving forward with the next step!
Outside Corners: 45 Degree Joins
Outside corners work similarly to inside corners and are joined at 45/45 degree angles. They are functionally similar to inside 45/45 mitres except that they work in reverse. Again, when a wall is 90 degrees square, these work great.
When the wall is out of square, some adjustment may need to be made to get the boards to look current. If youre planning to stain baseboard, extreme care should be taken with the outside mitres as there is no room for error.
Heres a picture of an outside corner in our installation.
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The Molding Has A Track That You Will Drill Into The Concrete
How to install laminate flooring transitions on concrete. It doesnt matter how thick your laminate is, even the thickest laminate has limits to how much square footage it can cover before its structural integrity is compromised. Laminate & vinyl plank t molding transitions installed professionally. If you permit an excess of room, the subfloor material can appear.
The red colored rosin paper can be good for this. To properly execute this transition, one must. To shop jeffs favorite tools and great products and help support our next project!
Does laminate flooring need transitions? That is what we call a reducer okay. Snap the center of the piece into the center channel of the adapter profile while leaving the intact angle to contact the lower surface.
Go through this to gain some expert insight into the complexities of laying different flooring all over the house. When you’re working on a concrete floor, the installation of transitions is different from the way it’s done on a typical subfloor installation. Check out this short video on making it look great!
Save materials & band aids! The laminate had absolutely no room to expand! In the other scenario, we will talk about installing a transition strip directly between a paved concrete floor and some other flooring arrangement.
I could have just moved it away from the wall, but i thought the laminate flooring was junk. Can you install laminate without transitions? Yet, this will make the installation a lot more difficult.
Measure And Cut The Baseboard
Measuring and cutting the baseboard is the most complicated step in the process. There are several things you need to do.
Measure the room
Now, you need to measure the room’s perimeter. Round up the measurements of every single wall. Don’t be afraid to give yourself some freedom when cutting, particularly for novices.
Never forget that it’s always acceptable to chop something off. Yet, it’s not always good to change it back on again.
Choose the material
After that, purchase more trim than you may need, just in case you make any measurement error while measuring and trimming.
Some individuals use a 10% surplus estimate, although buying one or two extra stock lengths generally suffices.
It is best to purchase the baseboards in advance and take them inside for one week before installation so that you can adjust.
Establish the floor level
Then, establish the floor level. If your floors aren’t level, they’ll pop out of your baseboard at different spots and will look odd. Using a 4-foot level is advisable to see if the floor’s level is proper.
You can utilize the level to identify the lowest spot in your room if the flooring isn’t level. At the lowest position, attach a spare piece of baseboard towards the wall.
Then, from the top of that baseboard, draw horizontal markings each couple of inches within every direction, making sure to keep level with the line.
Scribe the baseboard
Trim the baseboard following the scribed line using a jigsaw, or a table saw.
Cut the outside corners
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How To Clean Your Baseboards
Installing your own DIY baseboards is easy and a great idea to save money when doing room makeovers, but dont forget that you need to remember to clean your baseboards, too. Theyre dustier than dusty, and theyre easy to miss. The easiest way to clean baseboards would be to include then when doing your routine vacuuming, but once a month or more, use a microfiber towel to dust them clean. If youve got PVC baseboards, a damp microfiber towel works well and wont damage the baseboards. If youve got MDF, use a dry cloth. If theyre wood, use lemon oil or some other wood conditioner.
Measuring For Baseboard And Shoe Molding And Selecting Size
In most installations, baseboard will cover every linear foot of wall space with the exception of door jambs. Measure the wall space and add 20% to your calculation for wasteless if you are purchasing precise lengths.
Baseboards are available in 12 foot and 16 foot lengths, and the big box stores will allow you to cut pieces of baseboard to exact lengths. Youll notice that contractor packs of baseboard available at the big boxes are significantly cheaper than buying piecemealas much as 50% less. The disadvantage of these packs is that you must buy in bulk and you are limited to 12 foot lengths.
When considering whether 16 foot lengths are worthwhile, you should assess whether any of the walls in your house are between 12 and 16 feet long. The reason being, if the walls are 12 feet or less, 12 foot lengths will do just fine. If they are larger than 16 feet, but smaller than 24 feet, youll have to use two pieces regardless of whether you purchased 12 foot or 16 foot lengths. . In any case, even for 14 foot walls, a good joint will be invisible to the casual observer, so 12 foot boards can be used throughout.
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