Tips to Help You Install Baseboards Yourself

Contracting remodeling teams to install your baseboards isn’t necessary. Even beginners can complete this project. Here are some important tips to help make the installation successful, brought to you by the flooring and design experts at CMA Flooring Carrollton.

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

Flooring and drywall should cleanly intersect one another at a right angle. If there are any grooves, angles, or other obstructions in the way, correct them before attempting to install your baseboards. Without having a solid, flat surface to work from, the baseboards may not hang cleanly. This means they may angle outward or stick out at the bottom, or some may end up oriented higher than others. Cleaning the relatively small area baseboards hang against is quick and easy work.

The Right Tools Can Make Installation Simpler

No construction job lacks physical demand, but swinging hammers while kneeling or lying down so closely to the floor requires discipline to avoid mistakes. If you don’t own an air-powered nail gun, renting one is recommended. Not only can mistakes be avoided, but the job can also be finished much faster. Caulk, paint, trim, shims, a nail gun, and a miter saw are the most basic supplies needed, although nail removers and sandpaper are also recommended.

Baseboard Pieces Need to Be Chosen and Cut Wisely

Use full-length baseboard pieces whenever possible. The fewer joints you have to fill in with putty, the less work you’ll have to put in and the better the finished result will look. Also, take your handedness into account before cutting. Most people who saw with their right hand move the opposite direction.

Outside Corners Need Just as Much Attention as the Inside

Both inside and outside corners can be painful to correct, but much more attention should be paid to outside corners. They should always be mitered, which involves cutting to the shortest point of the miter and hanging that side against the wall. Inside corners can be coped, so far less attention to detail is needed. Because outside corners can’t be coped or easily shaped with putty, you need to cut them as straight as possible.

If you’re planning on switching out your flooring as well during this project, make sure you do so before installing your baseboard. At CMA Flooring, we offer many different options for carpet, laminate, tile, vinyl, and wood flooring in Carrollton, and we also provide installation services. Give us a call today at 972-418-6606 and one of our representatives would be happy to assist you.