My question, and one of few that Fine Homebuilding hasn’t already provided tips on…
I want to forego baseboard trim altogether, and would like the drywall to extend down to where it is flush with the floor. I’ve seen this design feature (or lack thereof) in many contemporary homes, so I know it’s possible. But I’m sure there are tips and tricks.
Can anyone help?
Thanks!
…Brian
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Replies
Don't do it, no matter what your decorator says. Years of experience has proven that some sort of protection is needed for that lower part of the wall. Vacuum cleaners, mops, brooms, shoes and so on will mark it.
Years back the mining town of Faro built about 50 new units for their employees, design said no base board, about 3 months after people moved in they let out a contract for, you guessed it, baseboard. It probably cost them twice as much with the tenants living in them.
What will the finish floor be? I would think you would want the drywall to run down past the finished floor so that you would not see the gap. For an outside wall, you would want to airseal the bottom edge (normally hidden by baseboard) so the finish floor would hide this.
You could probably get a similar visual effect if you used a more durable solid material set flush with the drywall. Flush baseboard, so to speak. That area takes a beating.
Greetings and Welcome to BT.
If you'd like to hear the topic really, really, exhaustively debated, we had a thread on it a while back. You can use the Search feature (bottom left, if I recall rightly) of the side navigation bar.
The nicest way to detail the drywall at the floor joint would be with some edge bead. I'd be inclined to use a "J" bead to give a touch of protection to the edge.
In the previous discussion, use of cementitious board of the same thickness as the DW was suggested as a way to help prevent dings & dents from appliances & rug rats. Some solid blocking (sorry Blue) might also help.
See how fun BT can be?
Oh, and to repeat the plea of at least on moderator here, please fill in at lest some of the Member Profile (just click on your own name at the top of a post, if it is in blue). This question doesn't, but other questions are helped if "we" know your general location and your trade skills. This works both ways, too. You can click on other's names (if in blue) and get their posted info--this sometimes answers the question of "Where does that bozo get off saying ... ?"
Sometimes. <g>
Oh, and "<g>" is a text depiction of a grin, to indicate humor or frivolity. If you run into any odd-looking abbreviations, there's a thread or two worth searching for that explain them, too.
bad idea altogether,looks ugly,probably spend more time and money making the finished floor perfectly tight,plus damage done to the drywall.
what type(s) of flooring materials ?
carpenter in transition
Any chance using flush base would work for you? It's a similar look to no base at all, but gives you the protection of baseboard. Rather hard to do from what I've read (no, never tried).
You bring the finish wall (sheetrock) down to just above where the baseboard trim starts. Finish off the edge with j-bead, leave a small reveal, then have the simple flat baseboard flush with the wall below that. Hard to describe exactly. You need continuous blocking the length of the wall. Looks interesting.
-Sean
Brian's post reminded me of an idea I had--to have a "toe kick"at the base of all walls; seemed like a good idea at the time (I never tried to do it though).
Brianvk
Here is a house that used a different kind of base.
Some one else mentioned a toe kick type of base. Well that's what this is. The base is galvanized tin.(the house has all kinds of tin and copper used in the design) Sheet rock applied over the top so the base is actually recessed 5/8".
You could always drop the rock down closer to the floor, I doubt that I would but you'd want to have enough clearance to allow vac to miss the rock.
Doug
Yes, there was a thread on this topic, but it was quite a while ago. Pretty much the same responses as this one - most swear "don't do it" while others suggest alternatives that are, at best, tricky - based on the assumption that ugly damage will inevitably occur.I don't necessarily disagree with any of that, but I would like to offer some encouragement;1) Do whatever you want. It's your house. People make assumptions based on their priorities. They aren't you.2) Really tough to vacuum without slammin' into the walls, but if you have wood floors it's much less of an issue. a person can be gentle with a broom.3) You can use either 5/8" rock or the new extra stiff 1/2" rock designed for ceilings - both of which would be tougher to ding. Yes - blocking all around.4) Potential for damage depends a lot on the layout of the room and furniture. In my living room we have vintage 8" tall oak baseboard all around...which you can barely see or touch because the room is suurounded by furniture, bookcases & such. No potential for damage....of course, if you can't see the effect you desire, what's the point, right?Good Luck
I like your thinking on this one.
I did a commercial job (bank), where the archy designed with no cove base or wood base in the office areas. They also use a "signature" drywall reveal anyplace you would normally use casing.
The 1" reveal was created bt using two layers of 1/2" dw, and contrasting paint schemes to highlite the reveal.
It turned out very nice, but was a BTA to hang and finish the board to keep all those reveals straight and clean looking.
Hello all...Your suggestions/advice/etc have all been very helpful. Thanks very much, and keep them coming! I hope I make a decision I won't regret with this project....Brian
Interesting. What finish flooring were they planning on? And were the finish treads on those stairs going to have noses?
UD
I'm not sure what the finish floor is?
I haven't been back since we installed the cabinets.
Those steps lead to the master bedroom, don't know if it's going to have carpet, wood.........
The whole outside of the house is covered with galvanized tin, very contemporary.
my brother is a well paid mostly commercial some resedential architecht in Houston.he beleives that trim is only for hiding imperfections. he designs most of his projects with no baseboards or crown or texture all clean lines. if there were moe people like him some of us might be out of a job.i like baseboards.
RTC
out of a job ?
doubtful.
building buildings without trim is actually harder and takes more planning. also costs more money.
and because it costs more money, the style will be rarely used.
call me a cynic, but $$ and cents drive the homebuilding business today and for the future.
i like the look your brother specs, but as he has found i'm sure, it is a hard sell to both the client and the GC.
carpenter in transition
it was kind of a joke and i meant it to trim guys.
RTC
Contemporary home. hmmmm.
My old man always wondered with a grin what ever happens to all the contemporary homes 30 years from now?
guess they're not contemporary any more....
Now if you really want to be contemporary-
I was watching a show the other night about an performance artist who rented a helicopter in order to toss 3 cases of foot long hotdogs out the chopper's window down on to New York.
Now that's contemporary, dammit!
Aluminum baseboards
Check out the pictures of this modern Palo Alto, CA house. All baseboards are recessed, about 2" in height with alu-trim. It looks amazing. You can contact Maydan Design Associates for more information. More pictures on their website. Looks like they have done at least two modern houses using this approach.
http://www.houzz.com/photos/52162/Palo-Alto-house-1-contemporary-staircase-other-metros