Install Baseboard Molding Before Carpet

If you decided to lay your carpet before installing the baseboard around the bottom of your walls in your home you actually have a somewhat.

Install baseboard molding before carpet.

They tuck the carpet under it. For most installers this is not a problem and can be done easily. Use a laser level to shoot a reference line all the way around the room then do your best to line the molding up with the line. The carpet installer can run the tack strip up to the trim then roll excess carpet under the trim.

When installing the molding don t simply follow the flooring. This is because when installing the baseboards after carpet installation they tend to wedge the carpet in between the tack strips and baseboards like a vice. Installing base molding before carpet is like installing window door casing before the window door. When installing baseboards before carpet ask the installer how large of a gap to leave between the floor and the trim e g.

We always install the baseboard after the hard surfaces but before carpet. Needless to say i am furious that i need to repaint much of the baseboard in 4 rooms and a stairwell due to the negligence of passing this info on to me from both lowes and the installers. When installing baseboard before carpet the easiest thing to do is to install it even with the bottom edge of the drywall as previously described. Just hold it up about 3 8.

How to install new base trim over an existing carpet. This can make the carpet installation slightly more challenging and you need to be careful not to damage the baseboard when installing the tack strips. This means that if the installation company needs to re stretch the carpet at a later date they may need to loosen some of the baseboards in order to pull the carpet up. Otherwise they get the tack strip too close to the wall and you won t get the carpet out years from now without taking the base off again.

Generally choosing whether to install baseboards before or after the carpet is a matter of preference.