Installing Floor Trim Before Carpet

Cut the baseboard get your baseboard cut to the exact length of the space you ll be putting it.

Installing floor trim before carpet. Baseboard trim before or after carpet baseboard first set on 3 8 wood lath strips tack less set between 3 8 1 2 inch away padding brought up to tack less and carpet installed and stretched over tack less and tucked under base. The pad is cut to fit against the tack strips. However consult with your installer to be sure they have no concerns. When installing the molding don t simply follow the flooring.

Install the carpet install the carpet all the way against the wall. 3 8 is the maximum needed. You don t need to leave any gaps. When installing baseboard before carpet the easiest thing to do is to install it even with the bottom edge of the drywall as previously described.

They will need to be careful not to damage the baseboard when installing the tack strips. The molding should be installed after the floor covering and should be adjusted any time the flooring is changed. Baseboard is usually installed before the pad. In some cases this will not be possible since.

This way you can make sure you have the. The pad is great to kneel on but the tack strips aren t. Pushing your trim back into the corner place a nail about 2 to 3 inches out and nail it off. The trim will be installed on top.

Leave about a half inch at the bottom of the trim uncovered then remove it after the carpet is installed. The carpet installer can run the tack strip up to the trim then roll excess carpet under the trim. Keeping the base off the floor helps the carpet installers to tuck the perimeter. For most installers this is not a problem and can be done easily.

You can also put a strip of 2 inch delicate work painter s tape on your trim before the carpet goes down. Then touch up base if need be. When installing baseboards before carpet ask the installer how large of a gap to leave between the floor and the trim e g. Installing base molding before carpet is like installing window door casing before the window door.

If you do you ll likely end up with wavy uneven molding.