1 x 10 Baseboards - Installation Questions

[Will Rowland]

I just agreed to put in some 1 x 10 #1 pine baseboards in a friend's kitchen/breakfast room this weekend. The baseboards will go on top of existing drywall, which in turn is mounted to 100 yr old pine shiplap. I plan to route the top outside edge of the 1 x 10s with a roundover bit prior to installation.

This is my first attempt at any work like this, so a few beginner questions:

I've got both 16 ga and 15 ga nailers...is there any reason not to use the 15 ga for the job?

How and where should I space the nails? Is there a risk of the boards warping and later pulling the top edge away from the wall that would suggest gluing the top edge to the drywall?

Should I cope one board at each corner, or would I be able to get away with mitering the joints?

We'll put quarter round against the bottom edge once finished. Should the baseboards rest on the floor, or should I leave a small gap between the floor and the baseboards?

Any guidance would be most appreciated!

[Jamie Buxton]

Start with the realization that the wall is not flat, and the floor is not either. As a way of dealing with this reality, folks often install tall baseboard like this in several pieces. For instance, you can nail on the 1x10, then add a cap molding that is fairly small and fairly flexible. Because it is flexible, you can bend it to conform to the wall, so you don't have gaps to the wall. Similarly, the purpose of the quarter-round at the bottom is to conform to the floor, and cover any gaps between the bottom of the 1x10 and the floor.

[Lee Schierer]

You are wasting your time if you don't nail into the studs. Dry wall will not hold a nail securely enough to prevent the board from twisting or warping. Your nails need to go at least an inch into solid wood to hold your boards in place.

[Will Rowland]

Thanks for the input so far...a couple clarifications:

I have to match the original baseboards, which are one solid piece pine with a rounded edge. However, at some point the house was drywalled, so the drywall comes down to the top of the original baseboards, effectively making it look like the baseboards are only 3/8" thick. (I'd have to cut away the drywall to replicate that look, which I think would just create a mess).

The interior walls of the entire house are sheathed in 1" pine shiplap (originally with wallpaper tacked over it). The drywall was placed over the wallpaper and shiplap.

[Trevor Remster]

15g 2-1/2" nails, hit the studs, install tight to the floor, and cope the corners. Yes the boards can, and probably will cup to some degree, but proceed on because you are matching the existing trim. You could glue the base to the wall with PL400 if you like, but if the board "really" wants to cup, it will anyway. Nail the shoe molding to the 1x base, not the floor. Hope this helps.

[David Prince]

15g 2-1/2" nails, hit the studs, install tight to the floor, and cope the corners. Yes the boards can, and probably will cup to some degree, but proceed on because you are matching the existing trim. You could glue the base to the wall with PL400 if you like, but if the board "really" wants to cup, it will anyway. Nail the shoe molding to the 1x base, not the floor. Hope this helps.

I agree! You can compensate for some of the warpage / shrinkage if you lay the baseboard in the house it is being installed and let it sit there for a few days to acclimate to its new home!

[fRED mCnEILL]

In my house I installed 1X7 MDF baseboards over drywall. It is secured by 1 inch brads from my air nailer. We then calk the joint. I defy ANYONE to remove these baseboards WITHOUT slicing the calk first with a knife. There are a couple of areas in the house, however, when there is sufficient bow in the wall so that brads will not work. In those areas I used construction adhesive.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Run a wide dado about 1/4" deep on the back of the boards first, stopping about an inch from the edge, so only the edges ride on the drywall, and nail through the thick part into the studs. The dado leaves the wood a bit more flexible, and holding it out from the drywall lets the wood follow the contours of the wall a bit better. You can caulk it if you want, but use paintable acrylic instead of silicone so you can get it off by running a sharp knife along it. You don't want to have to fight silicone if you are trying to carefully remove a piece without destroying the wall. Leave a small gap at the bottom so the flooring has space to expand and contract, but you can mount the toe molding without a gap. Nail the toe molding to the baseboard and not the floor.

[Mark Major]

Hi Will; Since the existing base now only shows 3/8" of its thickness because of the drywall butted down onto it, if you have access to a planer I'd be inclined to plane the boards down to 3/8" thickness first (I know, it seems like a waste of good wood). It would make it appear the same as the rest of the base and also make it much more flexible to follow any waves in the wall. Since there is board behind the drywall you can pretty well nail it anywhere you feel it is needed. I don't think you'd gain any advantage using 15 ga nails over 16 ga. nails here because the base is only 3/8 thick. 3/8" is a bit thin for base of that width but I think it is still quite viable. Good luck with your job. Mark

[Bob Lloyd]

Will

If there is pine ship lap behind the existing baseboard, then it is pointless trying to hit the studs, a 2 1/2" finish nail will hardly penetrate through three 1x boards.