How to Install Baseboards and Door Facings

Installing Door Facings

• 1

  Measure the width of the bottom edge of the doorway's top. Transfer this measurement to what would be the bottom edge of the door facing's horizontal top.

• 2

  Sketch a diagonal line up and out from each mark made on the bottom edge of the trim -- the dot on the right should go up and to the right, and the dot on the left should go up and to the left.

• 3

  Set the compound miter saw's blade to cut at a straight, 90-degree angle, and rotate the base to cut at 45 degrees. Align the sketched marks to the blade and cut two opposing, 45-degree cuts in the door facing trim.

• 4

  Center, line up and level the bottom edge of the horizontal, door-facing trim to the bottom edge of the horizontal top of the doorway. Check that the ends of the door facing trim line up with the top corners of the doorway. Nail in place across the top with the pneumatic nail gun and 2-inch finishing nails.

• 5

  Start on the right side of the door, and measure from the bottom end of the door facing's top piece to the floor. Transfer this measurement to the same side of the door trim as the bottom side of the door facing's top piece.

• 6

  Sketch a diagonal line up and out to the right from this mark to guide the cut. Align the mark to the compound miter saw blade, still at the 45-degree angle, and cut.

• 7

  Cut the other end of the door facing with a straight, 90-degree cut for the bottom of the door at floor level.

• 8

  Align the top of the vertical piece to the mitered end of the top piece. Level it vertically, and nail the vertical door-facing piece into the door's edge along its entire length.

• 9

  Repeat steps 5 through 8 for the left side of the door facing -- measure from the bottom corner of the top horizontal door-facing trim to the floor, and cut and install the vertical piece of the door facing's left side.

Installing Baseboards

• 10

  Measure the length of each wall that will receive the baseboard. Measure up to the doorway's door facing and into each corner. Record the measurements for each wall.

• 11

  Transfer the measurements to the baseboard molding. Cut a straight, 90-degree straight cut with a compound miter saw when two pieces meet and when an end meets a door facing. Cut vertical, mitered corners when the molding meets at or around corners.

• 12

  Align each baseboard piece to the floor, line up the pieces end-to-end and nail them into the wall with a pneumatic nail gun and 2-inch finishing nails.

Finishing the Baseboards and Door Facings

• 13

  Fill in each nail head and seam with wood putty.

• 14

  Sand the wood putty smooth after it dries.

• 15

  Use paintbrushes to prime and paint the door facings and baseboards.