How to Cut and Install Baseboards:
Cut with a Coping or Compound Miter Saw and Attach with Finish Nails
© 2008 by Kelly Smith all rights reserved
Before getting started, be sure that you look into your options. There are several
different types of baseboard. This article goes over
four of them.
Cutting and installing baseboards is one of the last trim jobs in a typical residential construction
or remodeling project. Baseboard is cut with a coping saw or miter saw.
In a perfect world, all the inside and outside corners of your walls would be perfectly square. You could
just use a table saw or a miter saw to miter all wood trim, baseboards included.
But alas, it's not a perfect world and wall corners are rarely square. So, almost all baseboard
miters will have to be custom cut to get those sought-after professional results. Enter the coping saw.
In this article we will take a look at the art of coping baseboards as well as using a miter saw.
Use a Quality Coping Saw
A good coping saw is quite inexpensive; one can be had for under ten dollars at any hardware or
home improvement store. The coping saw is intended to cut on the pulling stroke. The teeth are
facing the handle, in other words.
This gives you more control over the more precise cuts. But a lot of carpenters like to fit their
blade with teeth pointing away from the saw's handle so that it cuts on the push stroke instead. Try it
both ways and make up your own mind. Different strokes for different folks, as they used to say.
A Tool and Material List for Coping Baseboards
- Coping saw
- Wood files (half round and rat tail)
- Sandpaper
- Paintable caulk (if you are painting it)
- wood putty (if you are going for the natural color)
- Finish nails
- Hammer and nail set; or a nailer (I like an airless nail gun)
Different Kinds of Miters to Cope
There are basically three places where you'll be mitering the baseboards. First,there's are the inside
corners where two walls intersect; second, you have the outside corners where the wall changes direction
or you have a case opening.
The third place to miter cut is on straight
runs
where you run out of one
board and must start with a new one. This must be mitered at a 45 degree angle and is called a scarf joint; it is bad form to simply butt two lengths
together.
Occasionally, due to the architecture of the home, you may have some oddly angled corners.
This is where your newly acquired coping skill will pay off.
Cope the Miter Joint
Your first step in the coping process is to establish your cutting line. What you are looking for
is a 45 degree angle to give you a good bevel. Although as stated before, this will vary since
no wall is exactly square.
Begin with a forty-five degree angle. Test fit your cope on the adjacent trim.
Sometimes your cope will be an exact fit right off the bat. But others will need a few minutes filing
and sanding to achieve a snug fit.
If your joint is nearly fitting, you will just need to sand down
the odd spots using sandpaper. To take off a larger amount of wood, use your wood files. It may take
several passes but don't worry, your coping skills will soon improve (pun intended).
Nail Your Baseboard to the Wall
When you go to nail the baseboard up you will not always have a handy stud, thats alright;
remember that you can nail to the bottom plate of the
wood framing. Also, avoid nailing through the corner
bead because you might blast off bits of sheetrock compound.
You can use finish nails with a nail set or a finish nail gun. I prefer and use a Senco airless nail
gun. It makes it easy to nail something so low, sets the nail head automatically, and doesn’t require
dragging an air compressor around.
Cutting Baseboard with a Miter Saw
Let’s consider using a miter saw for cutting and installing baseboards. This is the way to
go when your walls are accurately framed and sheetrocked. Modern saws are very precise. The better
ones will cost a bit more, but you’re buying accuracy and portability.
Some use a laser beam for precision.
 
Some have additional functionality, such as DeWalt’s new DW717
heavy duty 10 inch Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw. It’s arguably the best model on the market
today.
Where you buy your tools makes a difference. Always use a reputable dealer that specializes in
woodworking, such as Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
Finishing the Trim Job
Once you've got all the baseboard installed, use the caulk or putty to put the finishing touches
on the job. Done properly, the joints will be virtually imperceptible.
Homemade Wood Putty Recipe
This is a little trick I love to use when I’m going for a natural wood finish rather than a paint
job. Rather than use store-bought putty and try to match the wood’s natural color, I save the fine
sawdust from when I was making my miter cuts or crosscuts.
Then I make a putty using the sawdust and Elmer’s white glue (not yellow carpenter’s glue).
The glue dries clear and I’m left with the wood’s own color. It’s the perfect match!
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