Install Carpet and Baseboard

Question

I am finishing a basement and we are putting down an OSB subfloor which will eventually have wall to wall carpet over it. Should I install baseboard trim before or after we install the carpet?

Answer

You can install the carpet before or after the baseboard. In new construction we put the baseboard down first, keeping it up about 1/2" above the sub-floor. Sometimes the new paint gets marked up a bit, so is then touched up after the carpet is laid. If installing the baseboard after the carpet is laid, pre-paint the baseboard and lay it on top of the carpet, not pushing it down too hard onto the carpet. The nail holes are then filled and touched up.


Dave

(Ask Dave) (About Dave)



Your source for building tips, woodworking & furniture plans, house plans and building advice directly from Dave...

Hi, I'm Dave Osborne. With over 50 years experience as a journeyman carpenter, foreman and contractor in heavy construction I enjoyed working with apprentices and sharing the tricks of the trade that others shared with me. Now I get emails from Members all over the world and we include many of my answers in our Free Monthly Newsletters. Some of my answers include drawings and instructions specific to a project, but may also answer your questions. I use correct construction terminology, so you can confidently inform your building supply dealers or contractors exactly what you need.

ASK DAVE!
The Benefits of Membership

Membership gives you full access to our hundreds of how-to articles, woodworking plans, converters, calculators and tables. Our Stair Calculator is one of the most popular on the internet. We have projects you can build for (and with) your kids, furniture for your wife, and sheds and gazebos. If you run into a problem or need advice your Membership includes unlimited email questions to me through our Ask Dave quick response button.

Join us!







legal