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Discussion Forum

not so perfect base molding

bg93245 | Posted in General Discussion on April 27, 2008 11:49am

How do i fill the gaps in the baseboard that i am installing. Seeems like the inside corners are my downfall. for the sake of the planet i have conceded and decided to fill and paint. Should i go with a “wood bondo”? reads to me like it sand’s and paints well?  Also would i have achieved tighter joints if i had layed it flat and cut vice standing it up against the fence.  ty

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  1. User avater
    IMERC | Apr 27, 2008 11:54pm | #1

    better quality latex caulk....

    you got more to do???

    did you try to miter???

    do you know how to cope???

    standing is good way to cut...

     

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!
    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    1. bg93245 | Apr 28, 2008 12:10am | #4

      yes this the first room of many,  i tried my hand at coping and it really did not look that good. maybe by last room i will have least built up an understanding of it.  getting ready to retire from the Navy( Aviation Mech) and i think that trim carpenter is off the list for future career's

      1. User avater
        IMERC | Apr 28, 2008 12:21am | #5

        go to advance search...

        it's at the top of the left hand folder / thread coloumn and enter this criteria....

        a lot of hits and a wealth of how to knowledge to be had...

        bring yur meals and a pillow....

          Help

         

         

        Additional Criteria

        Forum(s):

        Folder(s):

        To:

        or

        From:

        or

        Updated From:

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        Only show messages to or from me  

        Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

        WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

      2. User avater
        IMERC | Apr 28, 2008 12:33am | #7

        that didn't copy and paste well.....

        go to these links...

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=75981.1

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=54693.1

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=100013.1

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=74709.1

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=74254.1

        and if you figure out he search function....

        there's hundreds more..... 

        Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

        WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

      3. DonCanDo | Apr 28, 2008 12:56am | #8

        ...i tried my hand at coping and it really did not look that good...

        Practice coping with some mdf baseboard.  It cuts really easy and there's no grain to throw you off course.  It's pretty cheap too.

        Also, make sure you have good lighting so you can follow the profile and don't hesitate to wear reading glasses if you need them.

        Coping really is the only way to go for drywall inside corners.

        1. danz857 | Apr 28, 2008 01:01am | #9

          i know i cant cope and that was well before the price of gas was up

      4. User avater
        observer | Apr 28, 2008 04:31am | #15

        It's been said here many times that coping with a sanding disc in an angle grinder is the bee's knees.It really is and it is astonishingly easy to come up with a good joint.

  2. MSA1 | Apr 28, 2008 12:00am | #2

    Problem is that inside (or outside corners or that matter) are not 90 deg in a drywall situation.

    I usually (on outsides) find the angle with scrap wood. On inside corners you really should cope the corner. This will allow for the out of square corner.

    If your problem is that the top closes well but the bottom is open, someone else here suggested installing a dw screw behind the moulding to act as an adjustable shim.

    Good luck. Its kinda tedious. I prefer making cabinets and things like that to base moulding.

  3. User avater
    Matt | Apr 28, 2008 12:01am | #3

    What Imerk said.  You can caulk up to about a 1/4" gap (if necessary - although it may not be the best practice) the wider gaps may take 2 or 3 caulk applications.  As he asid, you need to cope your inside corners, and the outside (mitered) corners need to be glued. 

    Go the paint store and ask for some "wide caulk".

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    :-)

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Apr 28, 2008 02:46am | #11

      I saw a can of Big Gap Great Stuff at the Borg today..
      .
      A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

  4. Chucky | Apr 28, 2008 12:29am | #6

    Hi,

    I use a water-based caulk adhesive called "No more nails" by LePage or another similar product by Loctite.  It is a gap-filling adhesive and will dry faster than latex caulk.

    I'm doing my whole house with a 3-piece baseboard (1x3, base cap, 1/4" round).  The caulk works so well that I put a small bead on the base cap just before installation.  Since it's an adhesive, it keeps the base cap flush to the wall.  Since it's also gap filling, it fills in the voids where the drywall is not even.  Makes a very nice finish when I paint.

     

     

  5. Biff_Loman | Apr 28, 2008 02:28am | #10

    I didn't think I'd get the hang of it at first, either.  Practice makes perfect. . .  accept that getting the first few done well might take a looooong time, with lots of fiddling.  Once you've got it, you can work on speeding it up.

    The brain trains itself surprisingly quickly.  Do not switch left and right-hand copes one after the other, at least not until you're confident.  Make, say, six copes in a row to start off.  Compare the last cope with the first one.  You should see real improvement.  Discard the copes that won't work.

    I'm not 'really' a trim carpenter.  You can do it!

  6. DougU | Apr 28, 2008 02:47am | #12

    What everybody else said but do not except 1/4" gaps! Hell anything over 1/32 you should be throwing away - and yes thats for paint grade.

    Doug

  7. Pelipeth | Apr 28, 2008 03:22am | #13

    No friends, neighbors, relatives that can show you what you are doing wrong. Show you the correct way? 10 times better than reading about it.

  8. RedfordHenry | Apr 28, 2008 03:40am | #14

    Securely fasten a piece and then use a bevel guage to determine the proper vertical angle for the adjacent piece (which should will be coped unless it's flat stock).  It's rarely 90 degrees relative to the floor.  Just a degree or two off and there will be a noticable gap, usually at the bottom.  If paint grade, most production carps and all hacks will simply use painters caulk.  If stain grade, gaps are not acceptable. 

  9. FLA Mike | Apr 28, 2008 04:51am | #16

    http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu8duLRVIptwAJg5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMTNuNTZzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkAw--/SIG=12i3q416d/EXP=1209433838/**http%3a//www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/PDF/Free/021174063.pdf

    "Baseboard Done Better"

    "I wanna be a race car passenger.  You know, the guy that bugs the driver.  Say, man, can I stick my feet out the window?  Do we have to keep going in circles?  Mind if I turn on the radio?  Boy, you really like Tide."

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