Installing Base Molding

About this Project

Install door and window casing and other vertical molding before you install molding at the bottom of your walls. Choose from ranch or colonial base molding or use a three-piece base for a traditional look (see Installing Molding, Related Projects). It is best to add a quarter round or base shoe as well. These types bend easily with variations in the flooring and buffer scuffs from vacuum cleaners. You may be tempted simply to miter-cut pieces for inside corners. This often leads to unsightly gaps and misaligned joints because the corners are almost never true 90-degree angles. Instead, cut the first piece to length with a regular 90-degree cut and cope-cut the second piece (see Making Inside and Outside Contour Cuts, Related Projects).