| BASE MOLDING
The interior trim of a building should match or complement the design
of the doors, the windows, and the building. Base molding is the trim
between the finished wall and the floor. It is available in several widths
and forms. Figure 9-6, page 9-8, shows the types of base molding.
Square-edge (or two-piece) baseboard consists of a square-edged baseboard
topped with a small base cap. When the wall covering is not straight and
true, small base molding will conform more closely to the variations than
will a one-piece base alone. This type of baseboard is usually 5/8 x 3
1/4 inches or wider. Installation of square-edged baseboard is shown in
Figure 9-7.
Narrow- and wide-ranch base (one-piece baseboard) are 3/4 x 3 1/4 inches
or wider and vary from 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches to 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches or wider.
A wood member at the
junction of the wall and
carpeting serves as a
protective bumper; however,
wood trim is sometimes
eliminated. Most baseboards
are finished with a 1/2- x 3/4-
inch base shoe. A single-base
molding without the shoe is
sometimes placed at the wallfloor
junction, especially where
carpeting might be used.
Baseboard should be
installed with a butt joint at
the inside corners and a
mitered joint at the outside
corners. (The baseboard
installation in Figure 9-7 is done
with square-edge baseboard.) It
should be nailed to each stud
with two 8d finishing nails. Base molding
should have a coped joint at inside corners
and a mitered joint at outside corners. A
coped joint is one in which the first piece is
square cut against the plaster or base and
the second molding is coped. This is done by
sawing a 46° miter along the inner line of
the miter. The base shoe should be nailed
into the subfloor with long, slender nails,
but not into the baseboard itself. Then, if
there is a small amount of movement in the
floor, no opening will occur under the shoe.
When several pieces of molding are needed,
they should be joined with a lap miter
(Figure 9-8). When the face of the base shoe
projects beyond the face of the molding, it
abuts (Figure 9-9).
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