Baseboard Trim

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Roeshel

Yesterday I shared how I installed grouted vinyl floor tiles in the bathroom and today I just wanted to share a little baseboard trim tip. I re-used existing baseboard trim because it’s the old wide original trim in good shape. See how to easily swap out your baseboards here and a little tip for easy decorative trim detail here.

I gave it a good scrubbing and a little scuffing with sandpaper.

Then reattached the baseboard trim using my nail gun and brads. Countersink the nails, fill with wood filler and sand.

Next I sealed all of the seams with caulk – where the trim meets the wall and where the shoe moulding rests against the baseboard. I use DAP paintable caulk for windows/doors/trim.

FrogTape® Mult-Surface tape applied to the wall ensures a nice straight line without caulk smears. Apply the tape horizontally above the baseboard onto the wall. Use your thumbnail or a credit card to activate the PaintBlock® Technology.

Cut the tip of the caulk tube at an angle (the larger the hole, the bigger amount of caulk-age, so I prefer to keep the cut on the small side. Holding the caulk gun at an angle so that the flat end of the cut hole faces the seam where the baseboard meets the wall, run a bead of caulk.

I fill my FrogTape container with a little bit of water. With a wet finger, smooth the caulk. I work from left to right and since this is a small space, I worked in an entire section (about 4-5 ft. at most). You’ll have a lot of excess (remember to have those paper towels handy).

Then peel away the FrogTape starting at a bottom edge and pulling up and away from the caulk.

Nice clean line! Repeat until all top baseboard seams are sealed.

Now repeat the caulking steps (without the painter’s tape) where the shoe moulding rests agains the baseboards. Once dry (about 30 minutes), it’s time to paint!

Paint is Dutch Boy’s Cabinet and Trim paint. I used FrogTape where the shoe moulding meets the floor to prevent getting paint on my nice new grouted vinyl tiles. Using my thumbnail, I again activated the Paintblock Technology, then painted my trim. After the second coat of paint, I removed the FrogTape while the paint was still wet.

The vanity: I could have cut the baseboard trim so that the vanity sat flush against the wall but since the countertop had a little play (it sat out from the vanity about an inch), I attached scrap (stained) 1x4s cut to size to the back of the vanity, so that it would hide the gap and rest above my baseboard. (Also…one of my baseboards was good and glued as well as nailed to the plaster wall…I feared created a bigger more involved mess with pulling it off.) Now my countertop rests against the wall and is flush with the front of the vanity with no overhang but I don’t believe there’s a law or rule that says the countertop must protrude from the vanity. Is there? It also gave me a little more wiggle room for the tight fit plumbing.

Good as new! I love fresh, clean, white baseboards.

I used my FrogTape along the door frame and window trim too.

If you missed it, you can see the complete before and after bathroom makeover here.

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Family Room Baseboard {DIY installation and caulking tutorial}

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Roeshel

The old baseboards in the family room were 2 inches tall and lacked the character displayed in the rest of our home. The family room was a later addition to the house. After the bamboo floor was installed, we decided to go with a taller baseboard. I chose 6 x 1 inch pine.

Before…

I started to the left of the French doors, measured and cut my board to fit the space. I do not miter baseboards. When you see the finished job, I promise you no one is going to notice that the joints/corners are not mitered.

I moved along, placing my next un-cut 8 foot piece into place from the corner.

Moving along to my third piece, I butted it up against the far wall to where it meets the second un-cut piece placed and draw a line where the two boards meet. This is where I’ll cut.

So simple. I cut all of my pieces and ‘framed’ the room. {pardon the old hunter green furniture}

Starting with “A”, I label each board so I know the order they are to be placed around the room. I got up to “K” I think. You can mark the wall too, but just having the boards in order and knowing where you start works.

Next I hauled the boards to the basement and gave each piece of baseboard two coats of paint {Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace in a semi-gloss finish) on three sides.

My Porter Cable nail gun/compressor makes installing baseboards super easy.

I just a nail every 14 inches near the bottom of the boards and a staggering nail near the top in between the bottom nails.

{bad hair day = hood for pics and if you misplace safety goggles, sunglasses are the next best thing}

Our walls are not plumb. There are gaps where the baseboards gap and don’t sit flush against the wall. But that’s okay.

Enter: DAP DynaFlex. DynaFlex is DAP’s most advanced indoor/outdoor premium latex sealant with technology that is both waterproof and paintable. It combines outstanding durability, adhesion and flexibility with easy tooling, paintability, and low odor, while also keeping insects (SPIDERS!) from entering through small gaps and cracks. It is mold and mildew resistant, making DynaFlex ideal for a wide variety of projects such as sealing around windows, doors, siding, trim, molding and baseboards.

I usually leave caulking to Mr. DIY but this time I did it myself. We’ve been really busy with real life things, so this is a task I kept putting off thinking it would be more difficult and take more time than it did. I was wrong! Caulking is the easiest DIY job I’ve ever done. And it took only about an hour.

Seriously the hardest part was learning how to load the caulk gun. Cut the caulk tube on an angle creating a small hole. And insert the tube into the gun.

Handle up means “on”. Handle down means off.

Turn the tip of the tube so the flat side of the angled cut will rest in the ‘crack’ where baseboard meets wall.

Turn handle up to “on” (work quickly with a full tube – it pushes itself out!) and push the metal tab to start placing a bead of caulk in where the baseboard meets the wall, move along. Push. Release. Push. to maintain a steady bead. I worked in 4 foot sections. (Tip: With a new tube, be QUICK with turning the gun off an on – it will continue to squeeze out when you aren’t looking!) Remember to turn handle to ‘off’ position when you set down the caulk. As the tube empties, it will require more gripping muscle.

I had a small dish of water, a small waste basket and lots of paper towels on hand.

Dip finger into water and smooth out the bead of caulk (paper towels or rags are necessary). If it gets onto something it shouldn’t, it’s okay. It wipes/washes right off.

It created a beautiful straight flat bead filling in the gap between the wall and baseboard.

At first I even lined the top of the baseboard and the wall where it meets the baseboard with Frog tape to create a straighter line.

But found that the extra step wasn’t really necessary. It might be helpful if you had a big contrast between baseboards and walls. But if I made a mess or an ‘oops’, DynaFlex was easy to wipe away/clean when wet.

before

then…{better but yikes!}

now…

Family room still in progress but these small details are important. DAP Dyna Flex is sandable and paintable! It’s tempting to end at this step because it looks good enough, but painting will help seal everything and give it a uniform look. Next up filling the nail holes, light sanding and paint touch up. What do you think? An easy enough project to do on my own.