Baseboard molding installation is really quite easy for most DIY homeowners. But don’t get started until you have completed your planning. Planning for base board molding installation for any room in your house is quite easy if you just use the room floor plan.

When you access a room for installation molding, look for a logical starting point. The floor plan of a typical square room requires that the baseboard installation consists of just four pieces. But most rooms are not square or just a square rectangle with only four straight walls.

To begin, measure the total length of wall space and add 10% to determine the material required. Always purchase the material in the longest pieces possible to avoid having to make scarf joints. Most scarf joints don’t come out looking very pretty. However, if you have to make a scarf joint ensure that it will be hidden by furniture placement.

It is best to start the installation at the edge of any doorway casing. This will offer you at least two starting points assuming there is only one doorway. The sequence of cutting and installing is usually from left to right but is not a fast rule. In the real world right handed carpenters work from left to right while left handed carpenters work the opposite direction.

Always start with the longest piece. If you make a mistake in cutting you can still use the piece elsewhere in the room. There are three basic cuts used for installing baseboard molding around a room: the butt cut, the cope cut, and the outside miter cut. An inside miter cut is rarely used because the cope is more superior for producing a tight joint, even when corners are slightly more or less than a perfect right angle. The cope also will remain tight even as a house settles and shifts with age or temperature changes.

Cope cuts are relatively easy after you have cut a few. The only real tough cut is on the delicate top of the molding. If you start the cut from the bottom, the thin delicate top area could break off just as you're completing the cut. Most finish carpenters start at the top and work their way to the bottom.

Installing baseboard molding can be quite easy as long as you have an installation plan. Now that you have mastered this task you are ready for crown molding. As a suggestion, you should pre paint the molding before installing it. That will leave you with only having to touch up the paint after installation.

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