Baseboard -- How much above the floor in carpet areas?

[George Bokros]

Baseboard is installed off the floor in carpet areas so the carpet can be tucked under the baseboard. My question is what is that distance? I am thinking it is 1/2". Any finish carpenters, what is the correct distance?

Thanks

[Bob Coates]

That's what I use. Installer says put cut off of base board under it and should be fine.
Bob

[Martin Wasner]

I use ½" for a tuck as well.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I've seen it done both ways, tight to the floor,and 1/2" off floor. When it's done tight, carpet is chiseled down between tack strip and base. When carpet meets another surface, this how it's done.

[Steve Kohn]

My house was done with blocks of 1/2 inch plywood under the baseboard. That's the way I've always done it.

[John TenEyck]

Pros here use 1/2"

John

[George Bokros]

Thanks for all the replies. I had a house built once and they used pieces of scrap baseboard and their measuring blocks and I think that was 7/16 baseboard.

[Jason Roehl]

Thanks for all the replies. I had a house built once and they used pieces of scrap baseboard and their measuring blocks and I think that was 7/16 baseboard.

I've always just seen scraps of baseboard used, and most stock base I see used in the area is 7/16", though if it's a wider profile, it might be 1/2".

[Martin Wasner]

If you can tell the difference between 7/16, 1/2, or 9/16 tuck once the carpet is in, you're far better than me. :D

[Jenni Kreller]

I agree with everyone else; I just used off cuts of 1/2” baseboard as my spacer when I did finishing carpentry for a few years.

[Jesse Busenitz]

I just used my finger thickness... which happened to be around 1/2" :D

[Jim Dwight]

I've taken it up after installation by "professionals" and found it tight to the subfloor. But I do not think that is best.

[Trevor Howard]

When I trimmed houses several years ago I was first taught to lay it on the floor. This got change to raising it the thickness of scrap base board, due to some houses developing squeaks from the base and floor rubbing.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

In the olden days when my father was abuilder he placed the baseboard on the subfloor. Because he dealt with a carpet inspect from DuPont. Who was called because of dark soiling around the edge of the rooms and under doors which had wall to wall carpet. The problem was filtration.

https://www.carpet-rug.org/Documents/Technical_Bulletins/2008_Filtration_Soiling.pdf (https://www.carpet-rug.org/Documents/Technical_Bulletins/2008_Filtration_Soiling.pdf)

After placing the baseboard on the floor it mitigated the filtration problem. Later he would caulk the drywall to the subfloor and then install the baseboard.

I've notice that new homes being built that there is a large gap under the doors in homes with carpet. Asking around builders have become wise to filtration claims and this supposedly got them past the warranty period.

Carpet cleaners can remove filtration lines using high alkaline cleaners and they charge up to $2.00 a linear foot.

But usually the filtration lines come back within a year. Good steadysource of revenue for them.

Greg