Best Way to Install Baseboards

We recently went over the best way to remove baseboards. Today, we're going to talk about how we can install baseboards the most efficiently. Let's get started!

First, I'm going to cut the baseboards to the right size. Most of the time, this will be done with a 45 degree mitered angle to make sure they fit nicely in the corners. If this is your first time doing this, I would strongly suggest getting some scrap wood and practicing your mitered cuts so you can make sure you are getting exactly the right angles you want for the corners.

Once my baseboards are all cut and ready to go, I'm going to place them. I like to make mine a little bit long, because its much easier to have to hammer them into place rather than having a short piece. I use a simple rubber mallet you can find pretty much anywhere and it works great. Then I use my nail gun to nail into the baseboards at different angles. This helps to make sure the baseboard stays gripped to the drywall, without having to nail into the studs.

Next step is to wood fill where I've nailed the baseboard into the drywall. I only need a little tiny bit of wood filler, just enough to cover the nail and then I'm going to let it dry for a few minutes. I love the Plastic Wood-X filler because I only have to let it dry for 10 or 15 minutes, and I can give it a quick sand before painting. I like to wood fill and sand before I do all the caulking so I don't get any sanding dust into the caulk I've just done. I really like the Alex Flex caulk because it is paintable, waterproof, flexible, and it dries really fast.

For caulking, I cut the tip off at a 45 degree angle. I squeeze out a nice small bead that I run along the gap where the drywall and the baseboard meet. After I do a strip of caulk, I like to use my finger with a baby wipe to remove any excess caulk. Caulk dries pretty fast so I am careful to clean things as I go. If I leave it on for too long, it’s there forever.

The last step, after the caulk has dried, is priming and painting. I like to use a primer first and then whatever paint color I am using on top because it lasts longer and looks so much cleaner. After your last coat of paint has dried, you're done! Baseboards really aren't as daunting of a task as you may think, and I hope this helps you feel confident to install them easily in your own house!