Baseboard Wood Trim

A room just does not look finished without a nice wood baseboard trim.  There are many styles and finishes to choose from, making it quite easy to get just the right match for your project.

Shopping for Baseboard Wood Trim

You can find finished and unfinished baseboard wood trim at most of the larger home improvement stores.  Before leaving your house, make sure you measure the lengths of the walls you will be finishing.  The trim is generally sold by the foot, and you will want to purchase extra to account for loss created by the scraps made when cutting a length to fit your exact dimensions.  The normal waste is about 10%.

An alternative to shopping retail is to hire someone to come in and create a custom trim especially for your project.  Many remodelers do woodworking and can create designs ranging from quite simple to absolutely extraordinary.  Some of the more elaborate designs actually consist of more than one length stacked on top of each other.  They can also bid the installation in the price and make it all quite simple for you.

Baseboard Wood Trim Choices

Your first option to consider when shopping for your baseboard wood trim is going to be the type of wood you want.  Different woods have different textures and smells, and they will hold stain differently.  A nice hardwood will withstand everyday wear and tear much nicer than a softer wood.  You will notice this difference in the price.  Be aware of what you have in your room already.  If you are unsure, bring a piece from around a door or window to your local home improvement store and they will help you get a good match.

Pattern

There are so many different styles of baseboard wood trim, listing them is impossible.  From simple lathed pieces to embossed patterns, to multi-piece sculptured baseboards, your choices are as abundant as the creative minds of woodworkers can conjure.  Lathe cut pieces have a linear pattern that does not change the length of the cut.  This can be a very basic rounding of the top or a fancier multi-tiered look.  This is your most cost-effective choice. Embossed patterns are lathed pieced that later have a pattern embossed along the entire piece.  This allows for a more elaborate detail to be included in the wood.

Sculptured patterns consist of at least 2 pieces that are stacked and will have more intricate detail and design.  This is going to be the most costly style and most difficult to install.

Finish

The finish is another option that has to be decided.  Whether you are painting or staining, you can generally purchase your trim pre-finished.  If you are purchasing unfinished product, be sure you finish it before installation.  You will still need to do some finishing after installation, but you really do not want to spend the amount of time necessary to get a good stain on your trim, down on your knees.  Set up some workhorses in the garage or basement, finish all the trim, and get your sanding done beforehand.  Believe it or not, this extra step is a time saver. No matter what you choose, a nice baseboard wood trim is a beautiful touch.