Installing Floor Molding

Lengths of scrap baseboard and put 45 degree angles on the ends.

Installing floor molding.

Employ the same methods for outside and inside corners scarf and butt joints on the moulding. Cut the base shoe a quarter round molding that goes at the bottom of the base molding to length and attach it with a finish nailer. Install shoe or cap moulding if using. Caulk along the top edge and corner edges and nail holes.

If not move the level across the floor to find its lowest point. Nail it at an angle so that the nail goes downward into the wood. In addition to allowing endless possibilities for customization smaller moldings are easier to cut and install than large moldings and allow more flexibility on wavy or irregular walls. Set a 4 foot level on the floor next to the wall to see if the floor is level.

The nails won t hold if they re driven straight into the polystyrene molding. Miter the corners as with the base molding. When installing trim such as baseboard and crown molding master craftspeople use this method and you can too. Tack the shoe molding down into the floor with pin nails.

The builders knew the advantages of combining small wood moldings. Nail the floor trim to the studs and then tack the braces to the trim with 1 in brads. Install shoe molding and cap molding if necessary. Tack the cap molding into studs wherever possible.

At that point tack a scrap piece of baseboard to the wall with a nail. Protect your workplace floor with drop cloths move in a pair of sawhorses and set your trim pieces in place so you can stain prime and or paint them all at one time. Then apply construction adhesive at the top and bottom. You ll save time and protect your knees if you completely finish baseboard trim pieces before installing it on the walls.

Mark it where it will meet the other piece of the outside corner by setting your try square or combination square against the surface of the wall it meets. First hold the base molding against the wall after you cut it to length and look for gaps. Coped molding gives the tightest fit best a. If you see some cut a few braces from 4 to 6 in.

When you get to an outside corner set the first piece to that it extends past the outside corner. Plus you can often achieve a great effect for less money by combining small wood moldings.