Types of Baseboard Moulding
- Floor moulding can be simple or complex.elevators on tenth floor image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
In a Victorian era house, baseboards can be 12 inches wide and milled with decorative designs along the top edge. Today, this kind of baseboard is seldom seen in new construction because of its price and the amount of labor required for installation. Even so, there are still many ways to decorate a room with smaller-sized baseboard that will render a visually pleasing result at a reasonable cost. - Sometimes called vinyl cove, vinyl baseboards are manufactured in a large roll of plastic material that is cut to length with a utility knife and glued into place at the border of the floor and the wall. The main advantages of vinyl baseboards are the price, ease of installation and the fact that vinyl baseboards are easy to clean. Vinyl baseboards usually work best when installed in conjunction with carpet, vinyl tile or linoleum floor. This kind of baseboard can look downright tacky when placed next to a wooden floor, but serves a very functional purpose when installed with a another type of plastic flooring material.
- To create a minimalist style of baseboard, try using a single piece of wood to serve as the baseboard. Your first choice might be from a 1-by-4 or 1-by-6 wood stock that is simply nailed into place and then either treated with a finish or painted. This style retains simplicity while still giving the baseboard a little bit of mass. For a pure Spartan look, try using a large piece of quarter round for your moulding. In a room with newly finished wood floors and large expanses of painted plasterboard, a simple wood strip finished to match the floor can create an attractive visual combination.
- In a modern house today, a baseboard is likely to consist of several types of wood put together to create a functional border area with a few interesting design elements to accent the floor. The main component of such a baseboard would be a 1-by-4 or a 1-by-6 straight-cut board with a piece of quarter round placed at the bottom. Often another piece of quarter round is placed on the top edge of the board and decorative blocks can be added at door openings on an inside corner.
It is also possible to purchase milled baseboard styles that are quite decorative and may feature an ornate Victorian style. These types of baseboard are usually made from high-quality wood, but on occasion polyurethane or a painted modular wood product is used instead. - Often a room will have heat vents located at the edge of the floor or within the wall area covered by the baseboard. Here, stylishly designed heating and return grates can be installed as part of the baseboard design. These slotted devices come in wood or metal and have both a functional and visual aspect to their use.
