The Ultimate Trick For Getting Crisp Corner Baseboards On A Rounded Wall

Installing baseboards in your home can be a tricky process, especially when you're dealing with the corner areas where two pieces meet. To manage inside corners, you can either miter or cope the boards to fit together. Outside corners, in which the wall juts outward, can be more challenging. On a 90-degree outside corner, you'll typically need to miter the two conjoining segments of baseboard so that they have 45-degree edges that together form a square angle. However, when it comes to managing a curved outside edge corner, there are some additional complications to deal with during the installation process.

One of the most popular ways to ensure that the baseboard properly wraps around an arched edge outside corner is with a bullnose corner. But if you'd like to build a more square-looking link between your corner baseboards instead, there's a simple trick: you'll need to caulk around an affordable product known as an overlap transition cap. This joining method functions best with wooden materials, but may also work with certain alternatives to wooden baseboards, such as MDF.

If you prefer a crisp, right angle for your baseboards on an outside corner, begin by picking up a set of Phillips overlap transition caps, available in a pack of 50 for under $62 at Home Depot. This product is so-named because it takes the rounded corner of the wall and turns it into a perfect 90-degree angle. It's available in several sizes, ranging from half an inch to one and a half inches, with smaller sizes matching sharper corner turns. Once you've found the right fit, remove any old baseboards, and then nail the cap over the corner.

Next, miter the new baseboard pieces at a 45-degree angle so that the edges join to form a square angle. Measure the length of the baseboards carefully and fit them over the cap. Fill in the remaining gaps between the wall and the baseboard with caulk, then break out some primer and your favorite color of paint for the perfect finish. If there's still a gap between the two pieces, you can either use more caulk or cut a new piece if you have the materials to spare. For nail holes and blemishes in the wood, make sure to use wood filler properly instead of using caulk.

The sharp angle method described above is great for those who like clean lines, but if you're comfortable with giving your baseboards a rounded finish that matches the curvature of your wall, there are two other methods you can use. The first method for covering this area is to simply purchase a bullnose corner molding and trim block. This wooden piece fits over the corner and seamlessly bridges the gap between the two baseboards. A great example is the Fizdro rounded outside corner block, which is inexpensive, easy to paint, and trimmable. When you're picking up a set of these components for your home, make sure to measure the approximate radius of the wall's curve. This ensures that you will get a better fitting product that requires as little caulk as possible.

The second method for handling a bullnose corner is to cut a corner trim piece yourself with a miter saw. This corner piece effectively takes the place of the block mentioned above, but will look slightly more square. Begin by mitering down the ends of the baseboards at a 22.5 degree angle, rather than the normal 45 degrees. Then, cut a smaller trim piece with 22.5 degree angles on both sides. A tool like the Coobeast digital angle finder can be really handy for making sure you get all the cuts just right. Slot the new corner piece between the normal baseboards and fill any gaps with caulk. Make sure to avoid common mistakes when cleaning your baseboards to keep these central fixtures of your home in optimal shape.