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Planning for Baseboard Molding Installation
Baseboard Molding Installation Tips
Baseboard molding installation is really quite easy
for most DIY homeowners.
But don’t get started until you have
completed your planning. Planning for base board
molding installation for any room in your house is
quite easy if you just use the room floor plan.
When you access a room for installation molding,
look for a logical starting point. The floor plan
of a typical square room requires that the
baseboard installation consists of just four
pieces. But most rooms are not square or just a
square rectangle with only four straight walls.
To begin, measure the total length of wall space
and add 10% to determine the material required.
Always purchase the material in the longest pieces
possible to avoid having to make scarf joints. Most
scarf joints don’t come out looking very pretty.
However, if you have to make a scarf joint ensure
that it will be hidden by furniture placement.
It is best to start the installation at the edge of
any doorway casing. This will offer you at least
two starting points assuming there is only one
doorway. The sequence of cutting and installing is
usually from left to right but is not a fast rule.
In the real world right handed carpenters work from
left to right while left handed carpenters work the
opposite direction.
Always start with the longest piece. If you make a
mistake in cutting you can still use the piece
elsewhere in the room. There are three basic cuts
used for installing baseboard molding around a
room: the butt cut, the cope cut, and the outside
miter cut. An inside miter cut is rarely used
because the cope is more superior for producing a
tight joint, even when corners are slightly more or
less than a perfect right angle. The cope also will
remain tight even as a house settles and shifts
with age or temperature changes.
Cope cuts are relatively easy after you have cut a
few. The only real tough cut is on the delicate top
of the molding. If you start the cut from the
bottom, the thin delicate top area could break off
just as you're completing the cut. Most finish
carpenters start at the top and work their way to
the bottom. Installing baseboard molding can be quite easy as long as you have an installation plan. Now that you have mastered this task you are ready for crown molding. As a suggestion, you should pre paint the molding before installing it. That will leave you with only having to touch up the paint after installation.
Related articles:
How to Choose Building Material
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