44
votes
How to fill a gap behind plastic baseboard
You should really do a mitered return on that edge and terminate it into the wall. It will require a 45 cut in the opposite direction and a small piece, also cut at a 45 to fill the gap to the wall.
...
- 1,226
27
votes
How to fill a gap behind plastic baseboard
Gary Bak's answer is good. You can also do an angled return if you wish to ease the transition a bit. This involves a 22-1/2° angle on the main piece, and one 22-1/2° and one 45° on the ...
- 129k
21
votes
What is this wire that runs across the baseboard?
Very definitely looks like speaker wire, similar to this available from Amazon:
What it was used for is anybody's guess. One would hope it was for connecting speakers to the amp, but somebody could ...
- 43k
18
votes
How to paint baseboard without painting the base shoe?
It would be quick and easy to mask the shoe. Slide a roll of high-quality painter's tape along the baseboard, tight to it, while pressing the dispensed tape against the shoe. Run a finger wrapped in a ...
- 129k
17
votes
Baseboard heater not working despite measuring voltage
A basic electric baseboard heater is a giant toaster. You should be able to measure the resistance of the heater to determine if it is OK. Ohm's Law is your friend.
Disconnect the heater from the ...
14
votes
How to fill a gap behind plastic baseboard
Any non-shrinking wood putty should do. Elmers, Minwax, and Durham's offer good products. You could also use a setting-type joint compound, such as Durabond.
- 129k
11
votes
How to repair damage to MDF baseboard trim
That looks like MDF baseboard, which is very porous and will swell when it gets wet. It looks like there was a way for the water from your mopping to wick into the baseboard (likely a nick or cut in ...
- 6,905
10
votes
Can I run #14 armored cable behind baseboards?
NEC 300.4(D) covers the type of installation indicated in the question, and it applies to both AC and MC armored cable. So you'll need to use a steel guard at least 1/16" thick to protect the cable. ...
- 24.9k
10
votes
How do you comply with NEC receptacle requirements in row homes with brick walls?
I see two options. What I see in the US quite a bit is instead of running the plastic channels on the wall surface, people will use steel conduit. It gives kind of a rustic/industrial look. ...
- 4,947
10
votes
Accepted
Code requirements for wall/baseboard
There is nothing in the code that requires a wall base or baseboards. In fact, there is no requirement for interior wallboard.
If loose fill insulation or unfaced fiberglass insulation is used in the ...
- 3,748
10
votes
Baseboard corners seem wrong but contractor tells me this is normal
That is not the way it is normally done for carpenters. Carpenters miter the corners, it is actually easier, in my opinion, let alone a better way to do it and make it look good. It takes a lot more ...
- 34.2k
9
votes
Can I decorate this skirting board install?
As for the gaps between the bottom of the base board (skirting) and the floor ... that is normally covered over with a base shoe molding. Base shoe is a small dimension molding that can be pressed ...
- 64.1k
8
votes
Accepted
What height to set baseboards before carpet is installed?
3/8-5/8" but most 1/2"
Reasoning:
you have padding and carpet. With a plush carpet and pad you might be at almost an inch or even over.
you don't want the tuck to be so tight that it looks like ...
- 47.8k
8
votes
Remove Trim/Baseboards Installed Prior to Hardwood Floors (No Leverage)
An oscillating tool is your friend. It looks like it would reach to the bottom nail. Looks like you were able to pull the top of the board out enough to get to the bottom nail. You also may be able to ...
- 5,395
7
votes
Mismatched baseboards tie in
It is called a miter drop. Check Instagram or the web or a good trim carpentry book. It's not as complex as it looks and it is the right way to do it.
The person whose image this is has many ...
- 71
7
votes
What technical reasons do builders use white baseboards over wood-woodstained?
Painted white is cheap. That's really all there is to it, no reason you can't do it differently, and you can find plenty of non-white baseboards in the states - but a preponderance of Florida housing ...
- 201k
6
votes
Accepted
Installing Baseboard Moulding with Brad Nailer
If you are renovating the whole house, or at least a good portion of it, I would purchase a nail gun over renting it or borrowing it. Owning it lets you use it when you need it, not like going to get ...
- 34.2k
6
votes
Moulding descriptions have a 2-3 letter acronym in their description (eg. LWM, WM, WG) - what do they stand for?
Thanks for clarifying your motivation behind asking. If your goal was to learn a universal nomenclature of moldings, I was bringing bad news:
My 25 years of directly related experience has uncovered ...
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
Remove Trim/Baseboards Installed Prior to Hardwood Floors (No Leverage)
The problems I see are the bottom nails nailed into the baseboard. Get a keyhole saw or single handle hack saw, see picture below, and cut those bottom nails. Then pull the baseboard straight up. Use ...
- 78.7k
6
votes
All wires in thermostat junction box have high voltage
There are two very different types of thermostats:
Low Voltage
These use low voltage, typically 24 volts from a transformer. Generally they use 18 AWG wire, though thicker wire is perfectly fine. ...
6
votes
How to connect mismatched height baseboards?
You will need to remove the original base back to the nearest joint or corner and replace it with new. Lower the new piece in the picture half of the amount needed, and raise the new replacement ...
- 34.2k
6
votes
Baseboard corners seem wrong but contractor tells me this is normal
What you call "cutting the edges at angles" is called a miter joint. It's really easy to do when walls meet at exactly 90-deg, but takes some skill to do when the walls are at any other ...
- 4,140
5
votes
Would pine or MDF baseboard better handle humidity fluctuation?
MDF may be marginally more stable, but in my extensive experience it's far too fragile to be used for house trim. I wouldn't install it if it was free. It dents and scratches like nothing.
If you're ...
- 129k
5
votes
Accepted
What should I do about a huge gap under the drywall and baseboard when installing luxury vinyl tile?
Take the baseboard off and install your floor. Cut your vinyl tile even with the sheetrock, less 1/4 inch -- this will allow space for you to lift your tile and lock it in place; after you have ...
5
votes
Router bit for baseboards
Likely a false economy. You might spend $200 or more on tools for the job...router bits are not cheap, and neither is a good router (though the cost of bits soon exceeds the cost of the router, be it ...
- 201k
5
votes
Can I run #14 armored cable behind baseboards?
You can retrofit just ground. Really.
The biggest misconception is that you must replace all the wires. Nope! NEC has allowed you to retrofit grounds on feeders and larger circuits for awhile, and ...
5
votes
Why isn't door casing mitered to meet base trim?
The issue is that normally, moldings around a door are very different from baseboard molding. You can easily bevel two identical moldings together; you can't do the same if the profiles are different.
...
- 6,249
5
votes
Accepted
What is this white powder coming out of my baseboard?
It looks like drywall dust. There were probably cuts made with a rotary tool which left dust inside the wall, and now it's working out, possibly due to air pressure in the wall from an HVAC duct or ...
- 129k
5
votes
Baseboard diffuser is twice length of the vent
The vent opening is unrestricted (open area.) The diffuser has some sort of grille/vanes/slats that partially block the open area. So a diffuser that is larger than the vent (overall dimensions) is ...
- 201k
5
votes
Accepted
All wires in thermostat junction box have high voltage
The red and black both carry live, 120V each, but opposing phases totalling 240V. The thermostat you have switches one of the two, thus switching the baseboard on/off by closing/opening the circuit. ...
- 15.8k
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