How to Install Baseboards & Door Casings

Door Casing

• 1

  Loosen the adjustment knob on the combination square and set the square to 1/8 inch. Tighten the knob. Hold the square against the door jamb at the bottom with the end of the rule on the edge of the jamb. Draw a mark on the edge of the jamb 1/8 inch from the inside face. Repeat at the top and bottom of both left and right jambs, and on either side of the top jamb.

• 2

  Set the miter saw table to 45 degrees right. Place a piece of casing on the saw table with the narrow edge against the fence. Cut off the right end of the casing. Set the table to 45 degrees left, place a second piece of molding on the saw and cut off the left end.

• 3

  Hold the first piece of molding against the right side jamb with the point end on the floor and with the wide edge aligned with the two marks at the top and bottom on the jamb. Mark the location of the line on the top jamb on the wide edge of the casing. Repeat with the other casing on the left jamb.

• 4

  Set the miter saw table to zero degrees. Place one of the casings on the table, narrow edge down, back face against the fence. Align the mark with the saw blade and cut off the end. Repeat for the second molding.

• 5

  Hold the right side casing against the right door jamb with the narrow edge aligned with the two marks and the square cut end resting on the floor. Place the finish nail gun nose against the molding and press it hard enough to depress the nose. Squeeze the trigger. Place one nail through the casing into the jamb and a second nail through the casing and into the wall framing, every 12 inches.

• 6

  Hold a piece of door casing above the door with the wide edge down and resting on the points of the two side pieces. Mark the points on the casing.

• 7

  Set the casing on the saw, bottom side down and narrow edge against the fence. Adjust the table to 45 degrees left, and cut off the right side of the casing on the mark. Move the table to 45 degrees right, and cut off the left side of the casing on the mark.

• 8

  Place the casing between the two side pieces, and align the miter cut ends with the side pieces. Nail the casing with a nail placed every 12 inches through the casing into the jamb and another nail placed through the casing into the wall framing.

Door Casing

• 9

  Measure from the wide edge of the right-side door casing to the corner. Transfer the mark to a piece of baseboard, and cut it on the miter saw with the table at zero degrees. Fit the piece in place, and nail it with the nail gun, placing a nail every 12 inches through the baseboard and into the bottom of the wall framing.

• 10

  Set the saw table to 45 degrees left. Place a piece of baseboard on the table with the wide edge down, and cut off the left end. This 45-degree cut provides the edge to follow for a cope cut.

• 11

  Lay the baseboard on a work surface. Cut along the miter cut edge at the face of the molding with the coping saw, following the cut edge with the saw held about 20 degrees opposite the 45 degree cut. This back cut will allow the edge of the miter cut to fit perfectly against the baseboard already in place and works better than a miter cut for an inside corner.

• 12

  Measure from the corner that is to the right of the baseboard already installed, to the face of the baseboard. Transfer this measurement to the cope-cut baseboard, measuring from the cope-cut end. Cut the baseboard off on the miter saw with the table set at zero degrees.

• 13

  Fit the baseboard in place between the corner and the previous piece of baseboard and nail it in place. Add additional pieces of baseboard, each with one square-cut end and one cope-cut end, until you reach the door casing on the left side of the door.