Articles By Syndicated Columnist
Dan Thomas
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Improvement Inside And Out
Installing
Baseboards On An Outside Corner
When planning ahead, make the wall with interruptions your fourth
wall. Cope a piece of molding to fit against the third wall and mark where the
top of the molding meets the corner of the wall. Trace along the wall to mark
the required length on the molding. You will then use a miter saw to cut the
molding to length. Nail the moldings to the wall and caulk any exposed seams.Step 1
COPE THE MOLDING AND MEASURE
Cope the molding and measure. Cope a piece of
molding to fit against the
molding on the third wall. If you planned ahead, you saved a wall with some
sort of interruption in it to be the fourth wall. If it's an outside corner,
like this one, cut the piece somewhat longer, and then put the molding
temporarily in place once you've coped it. Mark where the top of the molding
meets the corner of the wall, and then trace along the wall to mark the
required length on the molding. If the obstruction is an inside corner or
piece of molding, measure from the obstruction to the third wall, and add the
necessary fraction of an inch if the molding is over 8 feet long.
Step 2
CUT THE MOLDING TO LENGTH
Cut the molding to length. If the end of the molding is supposed to be
square, cut it to length on the miter saw. If the
end is supposed to be mitered, cut a piece of scrap as a guide. Clamp the
scrap to the table, as shown in the inset, and cut partway through it. Line up
the cut with the layout line on the back of the molding—as seen here from
the back of the saw, the scrap is white and the layout line is along the back
of the upright brownish molding. Make the cut and install both pieces of
molding.
Step 3
CUT AND INSTALL ANY REMAINING MOLDINGS
Cut and install any remaining moldings. To cut the second half of an
outside corner, miter it, and then
caulk any open seams. If you're staining,
fill the holes either put the molding in place against the wall. Trace along
it, and with a wood putty that matches the stain or a putty that cut to length
as before. Nail the pieces you've cut to the wall. If you're painting, fill
all the nail holes with glazing putty, and caulk any open seams. If you're
staining, fill the holes either with a wood putty that matches the stain or a
putty that absorbs stain.
