What are baseboards? IMPORTANT part of the flooring

Baseboards hide the joint between a wall and the floor. Most baseboards are made of wood or vinyl. When you cover the bottom-most part of your wall with a baseboard, it adds to the aesthetics of your home. Various things can damage the wall of a room like pet scratch marks or electrical attachments. Baseboards help in curbing such damage to a wall. 

[ez-toc]

The most common baseboards are made of wooden planks. You can stick them on the wall with glue. But you should consider two things when you plan to fix baseboards in your home – the texture and the color. The texture should be compatible with the wall and the color has to match well too. To enhance the aesthetics of old homes, baseboards were affixed with layers of moldings. The baseboard is often darker than the wall. This makes the room look bigger.

Good baseboards can make a home look stylish. They are also used around bay windows to make them look distinct. Furthermore, matching baseboards can make a polished wooden floor look amazing too.

Why are baseboards necessary?

Baseboard makes any room more visually appealing. But you may wonder about the need for baseboards. Do they serve any functional purpose? Yes, baseboards can sometimes be used to protect dry walls, but there is more to it. Baseboards are made of different materials and each can serve a different function depending on how they are built. These are the benefits of baseboards:

  • Protection against water damage

Moisture can damage any drywall, because of the materials that build it. When there are no baseboards on the lowest part of the walls, any moisture that is present on the floor can creep into the drywall. Then the moisture extends upwards and damages the wall, making it look drab. 

  • Protection against physical damage

Various objects can easily affect a wall’s bottom, for instance, mops, vacuum cleaners, and balls. Drywall cannot safeguard itself from damages without a baseboard on it. 

Baseboards can be very stylish
  • Protection against grime and junk

Baseboards provide a ninety-degree gap that stops grime and junk to touch the wall directly and enter any possible cracks. You can sweep the dust and extract it from the gap. 

  • Prevention of the sight of the changing size of Hardwood floors

The Moisture content can affect some types of hardwood floors. As a result, they can increase or decrease in size. You may find them expanding and contracting the whole year. When these types of hardwood flooring are done in homes, tiny gaps are left on the walls. Baseboards help to cover these gaps. 

  • Concealment of crooked walls 

Though you may not be able to see it or believe it, most walls are not straightly built. When you install baseboards skillfully, it helps to mask the visibility of crooked walls. 

The types of baseboard

There are different types of baseboards and the materials in them make the difference. When you are thinking about getting baseboards, you must check the materials are the same as that of the molds. The materials used in making a baseboard affect its texture and strength. These are the different types of baseboard materials:

  • MDF 

Medium Density Fiberboards are used for molding these baseboards and are the most popular. You will be able to see a blend with other materials like resin and wood fibers on these wood-blend boards. These materials harden the wooden boards and make it easy to quickly cut them in shape.

After the mixing of different materials, the texture becomes more faultless than wood. This will allow you to cut the baseboards as needed hassle-free. If you do not intend to spend a lot of money on baseboards, then MDF baseboards are a great choice.

  • Oak

Oak baseboards are a lot more consistent and hard. These baseboards can be a little expensive as they can put up with a lot of pressure and are almost completely stain-resistant. 

Baseboards come in a lot of materials.
  • Pine

Pine baseboards are both less hardy and less expensive than oak baseboards. So these baseboards are another good option if you do not want to buy costly baseboards. As the primary material of these baseboards is pine, you will feel as if you are touching real wood.

  • Vinyl

These are PVC baseboards and most homeowners prefer installing vinyl baseboards in their houses. You can buy rolls of vinyl baseboards and fix them easily on the walls using industrial glue.

There are trends in building materials as well. One of them is to hide the baseboards. In a few years this might not be trendy anymore.

Variety of Baseboard styles

Baseboards have profiles, and they can have many shapes. These are the four available designs of baseboard styles:

  • Stepped or rounded

This baseboard profile is the first preference of maximum homeowners. Most of such baseboards have a width of 5/8th – 7/8th of an inch, and they are 3 to 2.5 inches tall. The top is either rounded or is stepped and melds into the walls easily. Because of their simplistic design, modern homes use this profile of baseboards.

  • Flat base

As you might have guessed from its name, these baseboards have a flat molding, and thus it has a versatile appearance. This means flat base molding baseboards can match any home, irrespective of the home’s style. It is easier to install flat baseboard moldings because there are grooves on the back of the trim which makes bending possible. 

Baseboards come in a lot of shapes and styles. Some can be quite expensive.
  • Sculpted Mid-Height Baseboard Trim

When the interiors of a room or building have a formal look, this trim profile will suit them the best. This style of baseboard trim has a height of 4 – 5.5 inches and a width of approximately 1/8th inch. Scallops decorate the top of the trim and sometimes there are steps that blend into the wall. 

  • Sculpted Taller Baseboard Molding

A room having tall walls and a large space should use these baseboards. This is the most expensive profile, but it also creates a powerful impression. The molding can be as tall as 5.5 to 7 inches and be 5/8th – 1 inch wide. The top portion of this design has either steps or scallops too which then merge into the wall. 

Conclusion

Baseboards increase the aesthetics of your home and make it look polished. Carefully choose material and profile that complements the style of your residence. You can also choose different designs of moldings for different rooms to enhance the appearance of each room. Though baseboards are optional, you can create a visual statement for your home using them and they also have a functional element.