Caulking is required if there is a gap of at least one-eighth of an inch between the flooring and the baseboard. This helps to protect them from moisture and dust.
When to Caulk Baseboards. Bottom: Gaps between the bottom of the baseboard and the floor happen because floor joists sag and foundations settle. If the gaps are wide enough, they allow air infiltration and seriously impact your home's energy consumption. 2 A bead of caulk blocks airflow.
Get a protractor or a washer along with a pencil and run it along the floor with the pencil against the baseboard. This will transfer the gap onto the baseboard. Then remove the baseboard and trim along the line. Reinstall the baseboard and the gap will disappear.
Best practice is that something at the lower edge of the wall should come down on top of the finished floor surface. If you install baseboard alone then that should be installed last over the finished floor.
Some installers caulk the bottom edge of the baseboards to reduce risk of water damage, but see caulking the top edge as an optional step for appearances only.
Protect Your Flooring from Water Damage
Caulking can prevent water from leaking onto the floor and warping and swelling the floorboards. Additionally, it may prevent the same damage from occurring to the trim itself. If moisture is left on hardwood trim or flooring for too long, it can cause the wood to rot.
Apply the Caulk
Squeeze the trigger slowly to dispense a continuous bead of caulk along the gap between the baseboard and the wall. Use steady pressure and keep the caulk gun moving smoothly to ensure even coverage. Avoid applying too much caulk to prevent a messy finish.
Base shoe or quarter round is the thin, narrow piece of trim that runs along the bottom of the floor and hides the gap between the wall and the floor.
The most common reason is foundation settlement. As the soil underneath your home becomes uneven, it can no longer properly support the foundation. This causes sections of the foundation to sink or settle at different rates, resulting in cracks and gaps between the floors and walls.
To Install Quarter Round Use Nails Not Caulk
Installing quarter round on baseboards with caulk is not a good idea because it can be difficult to remove should you need to repair the floor in the future.
Generally, silicone is most effective for small to medium-sized gaps, typically ranging from ⅛ inches to ½ inches. Attempting to seal large gaps with a single application may result in collapse or shrinkage. When facing wider gaps, epoxy-based sealants or specialized gap-filling products may be a better choice.
For sealing a baseboard or any dry area you plan to paint after sealing, choose a GE-branded siliconized acrylic caulk, like GE Painter's Quick Dry caulk.
In the majority of cases, the gap between the baseboard and the floor will be between 3/8” and 1/2”.
Avoid caulking any areas that can trap water or restrict its ability to escape. Water buildup anywhere in your bathroom can lead to the development of mold and mildew, and in some cases cause rotting around windows and doors.
What Color Caulk Should I Use for my Baseboards? The typical color for baseboards is white, as this creates a clean, attractive contrast and frame to the wall. If your baseboards are white, use white caulk as well. Make sure to use an indoor, paintable caulk with long-term elasticity.
If using wood filler or putty, apply it to the gap with a putty knife, ensuring it's filled. For wood strips, apply wood glue into the gap, insert the strip, and use a hammer to tap it into place gently. If using wood dust and resin, apply the paste to the gaps with a putty knife, ensuring each gap is filled.
There are several reasons that a gap might be forming. Perhaps the contractors who built your home were inexperienced. Or maybe your floor joists are rotting due to excess moisture, causing your floors to sag. Baseboards that are separating from walls are also an early sign of foundation settlement.
Note: Don't want to deal with removing baseboards? You can leave them in place, but you will need to leave a ¼” gap between the baseboard and flooring, to account for expansion over time.
One of the signs that you may have a foundation settlement problem, is when your baseboard trim is pulling away from your floor. A home settlement issue is caused when the soil beneath the foundation changes and shifts. When soil becomes too wet, it will heave and swell. When soil becomes too dry, it shrinks.
In these situations, I suggest using Selleys 475g No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose Gap Filler. It has the capacity to fill gaps all the way up to 25mm in width and 12mm in depth. Please make sure that the area is free of dirt and debris before you begin.
If the gap is smaller than 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm), fill it with silicone caulk. Fill gaps larger than 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) with a few pieces of wood, foam insulation, or spray insulation. Nail a baseboard or quarter round over the filled gap, then caulk around the baseboard.
When installing trim in the bathroom, it's ideal to caulk it. You can get away with not caulking in some less humid areas of your home, but in the bathroom or kitchen, that extra seal that caulk provides can help keep water from getting behind your trim and causing mold growth.
In normal conditions, established homes can usually go about five years without needing to re-caulk. When we say normal conditions, it means the same conditions a home withstands year after year.