Also called base trim or base molding, baseboard is both attractive and functional. It can add a subtle but important final touch to a room's style while covering the gap between the flooring and wall. It also protects the wall's finish from vacuum cleaners, furniture scrapes and other bumps or kicks.
Typical costs:
Baseboards vary from a simple 1-inch-high round "shoe" molding to 6 inches high, with finishes ranging from plain to a sloped, grooved or rounded design. The taller and more elaborate the baseboard, the greater the cost.
At 65-90 cents a linear foot, wood composite (MDF) baseboards 2-4 inches high average$50-$75 uninstalled for 80 feet in a 20x20-foot living room or $325-$450 for 500 feet in an average two-story home. Composite baseboards 5-6 inches high run $1.50-$2 a linear foot, making it about $120-$160 uninstalled for 80 feet and $750-$1,000 for an average-sized home.
Prices run 85 cents-$150 for 3-4 inches high or $1.50-$2.25 for 5-6 inches high for baseboards of inexpensive woods such as pine or poplar, which works out to about $70-$180 uninstalled for a living room, or $425-$1,125 uninstalled for an average-sized home.
It's about $2.80-$7 or more a foot depending on height and style for baseboards of solid cherry, mahogany, walnut or other high-end wood, averaging $225-$560 for a living room or $1,400-$3,500 for an average-sized home.
Costs are $1.80-$8 a foot, depending on style and height, for polyurethane baseboards that are impervious to moisture, won't rot or crack over time and can be painted just like wood; it's about $144-$640 for a living room and $900-$4,000 for an average-sized home.
Professional installation starts around $1.50-$2 a linear foot when included as part of a larger flooring or remodeling job, or $2-$4 for a stand-alone trim installation--making it $120-$320 for labor for a living room, or $750-$2,000 for for an average-sized home. If an older house has uneven floors and corners or unusual obstacles, installers may charge materials plus labor at $45-$65 an hour.
Installing baseboards is a relatively simple project, but requires careful measurements and precise cutting. HGTV.com provides instructions and Kelleher.com[1] gives a clear explanation of the "coping" joints needed to make some corners look good.
The Family Handyman explains how to install baseboard on crooked or lumpy walls.
The Stanley Complete Trimwork & Carpentry book[2] at $19.95 covers all types of trim molding projects.
Additional costs:
Installers often charge $45-$65 an hour to remove old baseboard. If the original baseboard was not installed properly, it can be painstaking work to remove it without damaging the walls.
For remodeling situations, moving furniture out of the way may cost extra.
If doing it yourself, there's always some waste involved, so buy at least 10 percent more baseboard than needed.
Shopping for baseboards:
Buy the best quality baseboard you can afford; the better the material, the better it will look when the project's done.
Lowe's[3] sells a range of base moldings and offers installation services. Baseboard can also be ordered online from Hardwood-Moldings.com[4] and Vintage Woodworks[5] .
Installation referrals are available through most flooring or hardware stores.
10 Quick and Inexpensive Home Makeover Projects To Do While At Home You may not be able to host the large family gathering for the holidays, but there are still many ways to pick up items curbside to spruce up your indoor space for your everyday enjoyment and to bring a more festive spirit. || Posted December 30 2020
10 Key Ways to Prepare for Extreme Snow Forecasters are predicting a true nor'easter will hit the eastern and central states with rain, thunderstorms, ice, snow and high winds over the Thanksgiving weekend. It's crucial to plan ahead, before bad weather hits. || Posted November 26 2013
Installing a mixture of 8", 4", and 2" baseboard at 900' and 3" door casings for 15 doors. Price is for raw wood which I will paint. No installation costs as I will bee doing it myself. The wood is being purchased from a small Amish shop near me. The wood profile is very simple with a 1/4" radius on one corner. I realize I could likely find less expensive wood elsewhere; however, I like their quality and service.
Base boards speed and quality goes with the talent of the installer. In most cases the installer is buying their materials wholesale. I can do around 800 feet in four to six hours if there is noting in my way. big box stores charge average here $2.12 per linear foot for base boards. I charge $2.40 per linear foot. (5 1/4" base)I can do it because I buy from a volume wholesaler. your contractor packs are only 12' giving you a greater chance for seams and increasing the waste. as for your MDF and particle board base, I will not touch that crap. I back all my materials and labor and those are a complete waste of your money. They don't last.
The last line of information under "Typical Costs" should have been left out, or posted correctly. It'd take a whole crew of carpenters to install 500 feet of baseboard in half a day ! They won't be doing that for $520, much less for $180.
Just wanted to add...its a lot cheaper to buy a contractor pack of molding at lowes. Individual pieces will run you around $6-8 each. A contractor pack with 120 linear feet runs $44! HUGE difference. So make sure you ask for the pack.
Posted by: Black River Construction in Hartland, MI.
Posted: September 24th, 2009 07:09AM
In the paragraph on installation costs it states professional installation starts at $1.50 per linear foot. This seems correct, however at the end of the paragraph it states a 500 linear foot project should cost $180.00 to $520.00 for labor. At $1.50 per linear foot the job would start at $750.00 for labor.
CostHelper is based in Silicon Valley and provides consumers with unbiased price information about thousands of goods and services. Our writers are experienced journalists who adhere to our strict editorial ethics policy.
CostHelper Community
shoulder mri Paid: 8000.00 Seriously, 8K for an MRI before all the secret insurance kicks in. I was stuck with a 1200 bill and my insurance is pretty good. This is insane for a 20 minute procedure with no nurse assistance... [more]
what should have cost under 100 Paid: 399.67 had my back wheel stuck on someone's driveway and I was pulled out as easily as a tractor could have done... [more]
Why is dental insurance stuck in the 80's? Paid: 55000.00 In 1986, I started my first full time Big Girl job, which came with options for medical insurance that ranged from "Volkswagon to Cadillac, and everything in between" which was up to me to choose based on my needs, what I could af... [more]