QA

Quick Answer: How To Cut Floor Trim

What do you cut floor trim with?

Slice a trim board at a 45-degree angle. You will need a miter saw to cut the trim at an angle and form a corner. Miter saws have adjustable bases you set to the angle you wish to cut.

How do you measure and cut angles for floor trim?

Measure along the wall and floor junction from the first corner to the first cut point. Record this measurement with an additional note detailing if the left and right sides of the trim are inside or outside angles. Also, note the degree of the angles.

What is the best way to cut baseboards?

Use a miter saw to bevel cut the end at a 45-degree angle. The cut will reveal the profile of your baseboard. With a coping saw, cut along the profile. Slightly angle the blade so that you cut away from the backside of the baseboard.

How do you cut trim without a miter saw?

If you don’t have a miter saw, the handy circular saw is the next best alternative for ease of use and flexibility. It can handle molding joints but also other angled cuts by adjusting its angle bracket. It makes both square or straight bevel cuts on high or low baseboard widths.

What angle do you cut baseboard corners?

For most DIYers, fitting baseboard moldings on the interior corners of the room is best accomplished with miter joints—45-degree miter cuts to each adjoining piece of molding. When fit together, these corners make 90-degree angles.

Can you cut trim with a hand saw?

Although it isn’t difficult to make accurate 45-degree cuts with a power miter saw, it’s all but impossible to do it freehand with a handsaw. If you use that lumber to construct a simple miter box, you’ll have a reliable tool for cutting all the baseboard you need, as well as window and door trim.

Should I nail or glue baseboards?

Installing baseboards with a combination of baseboard adhesive and finish nails creates a tight connection between the wood and the wall. The adhesive prevents the wood from bowing out between the wall studs, while the nails keep the boards locked into place while the glue sets.

How do you determine the angle of trim?

To calculate the proper miter angle for trim-work moldings, simply divide this angle reading by 2. In the example shown, the inside corner is 90.5 degrees—nearly square. The precise miter angle of your moldings should be 45.25 degrees.

How do you determine the angle of a cut?

The formula involves dividing 360 by the number of sides to calculate the corner angle. Then divide it by two to get the miter angle. If you’re making a five-sided project with all sides equal, you divide 360 by five to get 72 degrees. So each joint or corner forms a 72-degree angle.

What saw to cut baseboards?

Cutting Baseboards with Miter Saw The power miter saw is the most widely used for baseboard cutting. It cuts clean miters or straight, 90-degree crosscuts with precision and little or no splintering or grain-blowout.

Do you have to cut baseboards at 45 degrees?

With inner mitered baseboard joints, each baseboard piece is cut at a 45-degree angle. When joined, the two pieces form a 90-degree angle that fits perfectly against the inside corner where two walls meet. Mitered joints work well when the walls meet at exactly 90 degrees.

What handsaw is best for cutting molding?

The best handsaws for cutting molding have fine, sharp teeth. A back-saw and Japanese-style pull saw are the most suitable tools.

Can you use a jigsaw to cut baseboard?

While using a jigsaw to cut a baseboard corner or crown molding is rather difficult, it can be done with a high-speed jigsaw model with adjustable speed setting. It should have at least 10, if not 15 blade teeth. You need a pencil, a speed square, and a tape measure for making more precise cuts.

Should baseboards touch the floor?

Baseboards should only touch the floor if you have no plans to carpet your floors and if you’ve already finished installing your other flooring. If you have yet to install the rest of your floor, carpet or otherwise, you’ll need to take into account the height of the installed flooring.

Can I use Liquid Nails for trim?

Make sure the adhesive is rated for the type of trim you are installing as well as the surface you are installing it to. These Liquid Nails products are rated for use with most interior trim and molding types.

Can you install baseboard without a nail gun?

A nail gun is preferred because it is an effective way to consistently get the nails in through the baseboard without damaging the baseboard while securing them to the wall. Without a nail gun typically means using a hammer to install the baseboards.

What saw cuts 45 degree angle?

Typically, a 10-inch miter saw will cut a 2 x 6 at 90 degrees and a 2 x 4 at 45 degrees; a 12-inch miter saw will cut a 2 x 8 at 90 degrees and a 2 x 6 at 45 degrees. Saws also differ by whether the blade arm simply rotates (a basic miter saw) or both swings and slides (a sliding miter saw).

What angle do you cut molding for a 45 degree angle?

Generally, you need two 45-degree cuts to equal the 90-degree angle of a corner, and you need to make sure the cuts are going in the right direction and on the right ends of the wood. One way to simplify things is to cut your corner angles first, then measure and cut the other ends of the trim to fit the walls.