Wood Baseboard

Wood baseboard trim is used to cover the joints between your floor and your wall, and is great for hiding any exposed flaws in construction.

With so many styles to choose from when it comes to wood baseboards, you may find the hardest part of the installation process is narrowing your choices down to just one.

Installing Wood Baseboard

Installing wood baseboard is a fairly easy task. Once you have selected the wood baseboard that you will use, you will need to measure the perimeter of the room in which the baseboard will be installed.

A good rule of thumb to use when purchasing your baseboard is to purchase extra to allow for an occasional mistake in cutting or measuring error. Many installers will suggest purchasing ten percent extra to allow for these occurrences, but an extra piece or two should suffice.

If you purchase unprimed wood baseboard, you will need to prime and sand the baseboard before installation. Primed materials should be sanded before installation as well.

If you plan to pain, stain, or varnish the baseboard, this should be done prior to installation rather than trying to paint it once it is installed. Allow any baseboard that you stained or painted to dry completely before installing.

Next, you will measure and cut the wood baseboard pieces to fit your room. It is vital that you cut good miter joints using a power miter saw or miter box and hand saw.

Oftentimes, a power miter saw will allow you to get the best-looking cuts and provide or accuracy rather than hand saw.

To make odd cuts for angles and corners, do a sample run on a scrap piece before cutting the actual piece that you will install. This allows you to find the best setting to make the cut.

You will need to nail the wood baseboard into place with finishing nails. Locating the walls studs for installation is easiest when you use a stud finder; of course, you can always tap gently on the wall until you find the stud.

Use a nail set to sink the finishing nails just below the surface. Nail guns come in handy when installing baseboards, and if you have one, use it instead of the nail set. All nail holes will need to be filled with putty for the best look; once the putty has dried, sand it off and you won't even know the nail hole was there.

Be sure to purchase putty that matches the finish of your wood baseboard. Once your wood baseboard is installed, you can apply a finishing coat of semi-gloss or gloss paint, stain, or varnish.

A Few Tips When Working With Wood Baseboard

If you don't find the stock of wood baseboard that you want at the local home store, check with lumber mills in the area.

Uneven walls (most homes have them, even new constructions) can be remedied when installing wood baseboard by filling with paintable caulk. Simply allow the caulk to dry and paint it to match the existing wall color.