Casing, baseboards and finsihed flooring
I am getting confused about the height of trim for different finished floors.
I know that I have seen this before, but I looked in Katz, Salvage, and a couple of other finish carpentry books and can’t see it addressed.
A few years ago had to remove some panneling to fix a wiring problem and found that the baseboard was mounted above the carpet. I asked around at the time and found that while that was not universal it was a common practice. Left a pocket for the carpet to hide under.
So know I am finishing a room and bathroom and was not of the casing. SoI started looking around my house and found that all casings and all of the baseboards except that one little piece are flush with the rough floor.
That one piece was on a short 1/2 wall with a counter top that formed the back of a kitchen pensinula. Thinking about it now that baseboard was probably missed and added later.
Then I saw the thread on installing prehug doors and cutting the jambs off for the finish floor to go under. I know that is done for tile and wood, but what about carpet?
I have 2 doors. One with carpet on both sides and one that with carpet on one side and vinyl on the other. And also a closet with a bifold and vinyl inside and out.
The jambs goes all the way to the rough floor and was planing on leaving it that way.
The there ever carpeting is hold the baseboard and bottom of the casing off 3/8″.
Then in the bathroom I am not sure if I should try to hold off the caseing enough to slip the vinyl under it or not. In my house the vinyl was just scribed to the casing. I don’t know if it is flexable or enough to work in and under it. I have a couple of real, real tight spots. That bathroom will have cove that is installed later so baseboards are not a problem.
Replies
I run the trim to the floor unless I definitely know the thickness of the finished floor. Make sure bottom nails are a couple inches off the floor. Floor layers usually carry a jamb saw just for this purpose, looks sorta like a router that makes fast work of cutting door trim. I just use a flexible fine toothed saw on top of a scrap of flooring.
Sometimes holding base off the floor is a good idea, carpet can be tucked under, and the base looks more like the full height. As far as the doors go they are undercut for carpeting. If you cut the jambs you lose the undercut. Install the jambs on top of the floor.In the bathroom , trim after installing tile, then you have no problem.
mike
Thats true, but I prefer to snap lines ahead of time. I find that if I take the time during preperation to be sure my layout is exact, installation is a breeze, and the final product superior. This is especially true with architectual shingles, where improper layout can often cause problems and multiply throughout the job.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Are you 2 trying to "gasligth" me.
Sorry....couldn`t resist...at first I thought I`d bust his chops for posting in the wrong thread...then I thought, "heck, just go along with it and really confuse somebody". I had myself in stitches...then again, I`m easily amused.
In answer to your original question, I normally install flooring prior to any finishes that may be affected. In the case of hardwood flooring, it allows me to leave an expansion gap that will be covered by moulding...floor tiles need not be cut "perfectly", knowing a baseboard will hide such imperfections. I like to sit my door jambs atop the flooring...nicer look than cutting flloring around jamb legs. Personal preference perhaps....the only exception might be a carpeted floor....even then though I`d allow a half inch gap below moulding in order to "tuck" carpeting.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Unfortunately he deleted his message so that makes yours the "strange one".
I thought that it was funny too. But it took me a minute to realize what you where doing.
"Personal preference perhaps....the only exception might be a carpeted floor....even then though I`d allow a half inch gap below moulding in order to "tuck" carpeting."
Thanks, that is what I wanted to know.
Schedule is not going to allow for waiting until the carpet is in.
Not sure what I am going to do about the sheet vinyl.
Sheet vinyl gets cut pretty tight....if shoe moulding is a possibility, I`d install the baseboard and run the flooring to it.....the shoe will hide the imperfections. If a shoe is out of the question, best bet is to install base moulding after flooring.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
I only have to worry about the door casing for the vinyl.
Base cove is going to be used and that goes on after the vinyl. In fact the stuff that I am using get laid loose with some double sided tape at the door and other places that you want to remain in one place.
You doing the vinyl install yourself? A good installer should be able to give you a nice neat cut at the casings...if you`re that installer you`d know better than anyone how confident you are. If you`re not sure, hold off on the casings until after the vinyl goes down. You could have it pre-cut and even painted...ready to go as soon as flooring is complete.
One more thought....depending on the style of casing, a plynth block might save you some headaches....I dunno, just thinkin` out loud.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
In remodeling, my first priority is to match existing door and window heights. In the past I have always set pre-hungs on the sub floor in carpeted areas. But when you are dealing with different flooring materials such as carpet, hardwood and ceramic tile - and the fooring materials meet in a common hallway, the door heights will all be different. Most people don't notice, but I can't stand it. I usually go with the lowest floor height installation and modify the other doors and jambs to match.
"In remodeling, my first priority is to match existing door and window heights."
That is an good idea. But really not applicable here.
This is a basement finish, with lots of ISSUES.
For example the one wall leans in 4", since supported with I beams and wood supports bolted to the joist. I have a friend of mine that does tennet finish work that was showing me how to work with metal studs and do DW. He looked at my lines and said that they where could not be right. Dropped a plumb and it I was right on. Then when we started he said the same thing and got out his laser. Just so far out of wack that he could not visualize it.
And the door that was cut through the concrete foundation into the garage addition. The only thing holding that was the casing on the door.
Nowthing in it was straight level or plumb to use for references.
Alot of the areas where going to be left alone. But is is coming out so nice that the HO now wishes that we had gone a little farther and fixed some of the other problems.
But I talk to her (she is doing the painting) and will paint the casing after I put down the vinyl so that will give it much nicer finsihed look.
Reminds me of a time when I was just slightly behind on a job (rare :-). I was nailing in the base molding one evening in advance of the carpet installers (coming the next morning), when the next door neighbor asked if I'd stop so they could get some sleep <gulp>. The carpet went in with three walls finished. I ripped the molding for the fourth wall after the carpet was installed, to fit it over the tack strip.
I thought that wall looked better, so now, if it's carpet over underlayment and not a real floor, I'll leave room to tuck the carpet edge under.