Baseboards, window moldings and door trim need to be installed after your floor

Before you install a new floor is really the best time to decide on what type of molding or baseboards you are going to install. When searching for ideas all of the baseboards and moldings are referred to as trim.

The style you select for your baseboards and door trim will make or break the look of your flooring. 4 inch baseboards look the best and will set off your floors beautifully. For door trim and windows a 3 inch molding compliments them very well.

Do you need to buy new baseboards and molding?

If you have painted or wall papered your walls one too many times and have pulled the moldings off a couple of times, you will probably notice that it is not going back on as well anymore. This is a sign that it is time to buy new trim. This happens mostly with mdf moldings, with wood trim you can fill the holes better and reuse it more.

What is the best trim to use?

All molding comes in the same shape and sizes sold across the country. The wood molding association has standardized the shapes for all types, from crown molding to closet poles. So if you see one style in one store it will be the same in another, which makes it easy to compare prices.

There are two types of molding, wood which doesn't need any introduction and what is referred to as MDF molding. MDF stands for medium density fiberboard which is always paintable.

Wood trim is the best stainable trim for hardwood floors and laminate wood floors. With the widest variety being stainable trim in pine. All types of hardwood trim can be purchased although you may have to specially order some types. Oak wood is stocked by most home hardware stores.

Trim is our best friend, it will hide a multitude of errors. It allows you to cut pieces of wood or plaster a little smaller than you need which enables you to fit it easier. The most important role that baseboards play in the way your room looks is that it is what holds down a floating floor, like laminate wood floors.

Installers leave a 1/2 inch gap in drywall above the floor just for this reason. What happens with wood or laminate flooring is that with different types of humidity the floor will heave and shift. If there wasn't a gap it would buckle the floor or crack your drywall. Plus floors are never level with the wall, this is the number one value of wood baseboards and mdf trim. Back to home flooring reviews to choose which type of flooring to install.
 

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