How to Attach Baseboard Trim to Drywall

Put on your safety glasses.

Place the tape measure in one corner of the room. Mark every 16 inches either on the subfloor if the flooring isn’t installed or near the bottom of the wall. Most building codes require that wall studs be placed 16 inches apart.

Verify the location of the studs using a stud finder. Turn the stud finder on, and run it along the wall. Depending on the type of stud finder, either a series of lights will illuminate when there is a stud, or it will beep. In some cases, studs may have been placed 20 or 24 inches apart. If this is the case with your home, mark the locations of these studs and disregard the markings that assumed 16-inch spacing.

Load the nail gun with a clip of 2-inch finishing nails.

Place the baseboard trim up against the wall.

Place the tip of the nail gun ½-inch from the top of the trim at one of the stud markings. Pull the trigger on the gun to shoot a nail through the trim, drywall and into the wall stud.

Work your way along the wall until you have nailed the trim at every spot where there is a wall stud.

Verify that you have hit the studs by placing a small pry bar under the trim and gently pulling back on it. If the trim moves easily, that means the nail missed the stud, and you should once again verify the location of the stud and nail it again.