Considering New Baseboards? – On the House

Considering New Baseboards?

By on June 23, 2018
baseboards

Baseboard is an often-overlooked design detail that, as it turns out, plays a big role in protecting walls and making rooms feel polished.

 

What are baseboards?

 Baseboards are installed partly for aesthetic reasons: Just as crown molding hides the area where walls meet the ceiling, baseboards hide the joint where walls meet the floor, which might otherwise be unsightly. But baseboards also serve a very necessary function in protecting plaster walls from getting kicked or scuffed by shoes, boots, and vacuum attachments.

 

Should baseboards look like the other molding in the room?

In general, the design should tie in with the room’s other trim. All the trim should be part of the same family, with similar detail and proportions.

Baseboard trim is usually much less ornate than crown molding, though in modern houses both can be starkly simple. Remember that more streamlined molding will collect less dust and dirt. And since baseboards are adjacent to the floor, you need to make sure the two materials work together in terms of color and texture.

What’s the best material for baseboards?

Because they must stand up to a lot of punishment, most baseboards are made of solid wood. They can vary by wood species for staining. Painted baseboards are available in MDF (medium density fiberboard), pine, primed finger joint pine. For curved walls you will want ultra-flex: (ULTIMATE FLEX® is a syntactic polyurethane compound with a unique cellular composition structure similar to wood and may be handled the same as wood. It is one-half the weight of other flexible mouldings, yet retains the necessary strength and durability with ease of use and saves on freight costs. ULTIMATE FLEX® is pre-primed for superior paint and stain adhesion. Our approach was to simply put the best product on the market.)

Tip:

When painting baseboard before installation in a wet area, don’t forget to prime the back side and bottom of the base to keep it from absorbing excess moisture and finish by caulking.

 

Source: https://www.remodelista.com/posts/what-are-baseboards-molding-remodeling-101/?utm_source=Remodelista’s%20Daily%20Digest%20from%2006/08/2018&utm_campaign=28f47858aa&utm_medium=email

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