Step

To save a base shoe without breaking it, drive it's finish nails all the way through with a nail set. Pry off the baseboard and top molding by inserting a putty knife, then a pry bar. Pull nails with pliers.

Measure carefully. Add 1/16-inch to the length and spring the molding into place so it fits tightly. You can cut baseboards with an inexpensive miter box and backsaw.

Drill pilot holes and drive the finish nails into the studs and sole plate. Glue the outside corners.

Like most other trim work, fitting a new baseboard is trickier than you might imagine. So don't be overly dismayed if you miscut a miter on your first effort; it takes a bit of concentration to keep track of which way those angles should go. Baseboard moldings, sometimes called base moldings, come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Take along a piece of the old molding when you shop for a replacement.

In an older home, you may discover the baseboard actually consists of several different moldings fastened together. If so, you may be able to make a convincing-from-a-distance facsimile with modern day millwork.

Base shoe molding not only protects the baseboard from scuffing, it is also flexible enough to rise and fall with uneven flooring. So instead of scribing and painstakingly fitting your new baseboard to the floor, you might prefer to hide any gaps with a base shoe.

Finally, to save yourself some frustration when cutting miters, bring your miter box close to the job and set it up beside the angle you are cutting. This lets you orient the angle in the miter box to the one needed for the baseboard.

Step