Home/Carpentry/Install New Baseboards
🔨 Carpentry

Install New Baseboards

⏱️1 day💰$80–250🟢Intermediate4.6 (167 reviews)

Upgrade from builder-grade 2" base to tall, detailed trim in a single weekend. Transforms a room.

Remove old baseboards

Score the top edge with a utility knife to break the paint seal. Pry gently with a flat bar, using a scrap of wood to protect the drywall.

Measure each wall

Measure all walls and add 10% for waste and miter mistakes. Pre-paint baseboards before installing (so much easier).

Cut outside corners (mitered)

Use a miter saw set to 45°. Two pieces meeting at a corner each cut at 45° form a 90° outside corner.

Cope inside corners

For inside corners, cut one piece square against the wall and cope the other piece to fit its profile. Use a coping saw along the painted edge of a 45° cut.

Nail with a brad nailer

Use 18-gauge brads, 2" long, every 16" into studs. Keep nails 1" from the top and bottom edges.

Caulk and touch up

Caulk the top edge and all seams with paintable caulk. Touch up nail holes with spackle, sand, and repaint.

Sign in to save your progress across visits.