Baseboards Styles – Many homeowners think that baseboard is dispensable since it is merely used to cover the flaw that you can find at the bottom of the walls. So, any baseboard styles will do. But nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some baseboard styles that can accentuate your interior perfectly.
Table Of Contents
Choosing The Right Baseboards for Your House
Choosing the right baseboards could be tricky. Perhaps some of you think that any baseboard styles will suit the interior of your house. In fact, you need to consider some things before purchasing baseboards.
- Consider whether you are going to replace all the baseboard trim or just some parts of it.
- Decide what kind of baseboard trim and molding you are going to use. The material affects your budget, and thus deciding the material in the first place is necessary. You might want to consider the room in which the new baseboard will be installed as certain materials aren’t suitable for certain rooms.
- Decide the style of the interior of your house whether it is modern or classic.
Hint: Vinyl baseboard suits bathrooms very well as it can put up with damp. But it’s not a good idea to install vinyl baseboard in your living room. MDF baseboard or hardwood baseboard will be better.
Pros:
- Vinyl baseboard is less expensive than hardwood baseboard and it is more durable.
- Vinyl baseboard is easy to install. Even replacing it is merely a cinch.
Cons:
- Vinyl baseboard tends to attract mildew.
- It can’t be painted.
The Types of Baseboards
Baseboards styles are available in some materials. Each material has its benefits and drawbacks and, of course, differs in price. You need to know what kind of baseboard you are looking for so that you can prepare your budget.
-
Old-Fashioned
Old-fashioned baseboards are still used today although they are not as preferable as they used to be.
An old-fashioned baseboard is usually 4 or 6 inches in width and made of pine or fir. It is usually used along with plinth block, a 1x4x6 inches vertical block standing beside the doorways.
Pros:
- It can provide a Victorian style to your house.
Cons:
- It can be a bit pricey.
-
Hardwood
Hardwood baseboards styles is one of the most ubiquitous baseboards. Despite being more expensive than many other baseboards, many homeowners prefer to use it because it can accentuate the luxurious of the interior design of their house. Besides, hardwood baseboard is very easy to stain and fits in with the existing molding well.
However, the prices of hardword are varied depending on the wood species. Mostly, hardwood baseboard is made of oak tree. And it has a superb quality.
Hint: It will be better to purchase hardwood baseboard which has the same color and species as your wood floors.
Pros:
- Hardwood baseboard never fails to give elegant look to your house.
- The installation is cheap and easy. It only needs a few tools and everyone can do it well.
- It is very easy to stain.
Cons:
- It somewhat costs an arm and a leg.
- It can’t be painted easily since it absorbs the paint.
- It can be easily damaged by scratches.
-
Plastic
Plastic baseboards are quite similar to vinyl baseboards. They are easy to be colored and styled. It is not as easy as wood baseboards, though. Since plastic is produced massively, it is much cheaper than vinyl or wood baseboard. But it still does have some drawbacks.
Hint: Pre-drill every nail hole to ease the installation and avoid breaking the plastic baseboards.
Pros:
- Plastic baseboards are durable and less expensive.
- They are not prone to rot and have mildew.
Cons:
- Plastic baseboards are not that flexible. They can be broken easily if you force them to follow the contour of the wall.
- Since they are brittle, removing them without wreaking havoc is pie in the sky.
- The slick surface will make you unable to apply latex paint very well without leaving brush marks.
- They are not environmentally friendly.
-
Composites
Composite baseboards styles are usually made of the combination of wood chips, saw dust, and adhesive. They do not look like woods but they can bend better than wood baseboards. In addition to being able to bend easily, they are also less expensive than hardwood baseboards. And they are even the most inexpensive of all.
Hint: To get a better result when you want to paint composite baseboards, try covering the flaws near the nail holes by filling them using nail filler, either putty or patch. Then re-prime them with an acrylic primer. Then, sand them lightly and clean the dusty layer.
Pros:
- It is inexpensive.
- It can be painted and stained.
Cons:
- It is weaker than hardwood. Thus, if you aren’t careful when installing it, you will make it crack or split.
- Since it isn’t as dense as hardwood baseboards, you have to use more nails during the installation.
- It is prone to droop in the middle if you do not nail it properly.
7 Leading Baseboards Styles
There are a number of baseboard styles available in home improvement stores. Therefore, homeowners tend to be overwhelmed by the available choices. But there are some leading baseboard styles that have been widely used by many homeowners due to their designs and durability.
Home Depot Baseboards Styles
Home Depot is always committed to meeting its customers’ need. Thus, Home Depot always provides high-quality products that will never fail to satisfy you.
One of its wonderful products is Primed Fibreboard Base 1/2 inch x 5-1/4 Inch x 8 Feet by Alexandria molding. It adds the warm and elegant look to your house. This white baseboard is ready to install without making you break a sweat for the installation.
Hint: This baseboard is not suitable for a contemporary house which tends to be minimalist.
Pros:
- It is affordable.
- It has prefinished design that can be installed without adding any accessories.
Cons:
- Since it has been painted, it will be hard to stain it if you want to create a distinctive look.
Modern Baseboard Styles
Modern interior designs tend to be unsophisticated and minimalist. They play with either monochromatic or soft pastel colors.
Just because being unsophisticated, it does not mean that you look down on what baseboards can do to accentuate the modern look of your house. Baseboards also play an important role in creating the modern ambience.
Hints:
To create a modern look, you should use narrow baseboards. The narrower the better. There is a technique reveal base ─ a small piece of metal or plastic that is installed to separate the base of the wall and the floor. It is so small that you might not notice it, unless you paint it using the color that contrasts sharply with the wall.
But it doesn’t mean that you have to paint it differently. You can paint the baseboards using the same color as the wall, to create an ultra clean look. Using a plain baseboard trim without any moldings will be great. Despite being a subtle add-on to your house, it still creates an impressive look.
Pros:
- It will be less expensive.
- You will not have much work to do during the installation.
Cons:
- The bbaseboardsdo not provide a significant effect to your house so that it tends to be dispensable.
Craftsman Style Baseboard
This is one of everyone’s favorite styles ─ Craftsman styles. It’s all about natural and handmade materials. If we are talking about a craftsman home style, we are talking about hardwood baseboards and moldings.
There are many kinds of hardwood baseboard styles available in home improvement stores which might suit your style very well.
Hint: Use simple baseboard trim for a craftsman home style.
Pros:
- It’s simple yet impressive.
- It is easy to do even if you are doing DIY.
- The baseboard can be painted or stained very well.
Cons:
- Hardwood baseboard can be a bit price;y.
Baseboard Trim Styles
There are so many baseboard trim styles that suit the interior of your house very well. And you should know the one that you are looking for.
There are four most commonly-used baseboard trims that you need to know─ three inch rounded, flat baseboard molding, sculpted mid-height baseboard trim, sculpted taller baseboard molding.
Three inches rounded baseboard is also known as stepped trim due to its design. The top of the trim has been meticulously shaped round so that it looks like a subtle stepped form which enables it to taper into the wall.
Baseboards Styles – First
Hint: it is suitable for contemporary and craftsman style houses.
Pros:
- It’s been shaped well so that you don’t need todo a lot of work.
Cons:
- If it doesn’t suit your style, you need to shape it and flat baseboard molding is very versatile as the front part of it is very flat while the back part is grooved so that the installation will be easier.
Baseboards Styles – Second
Hint: combine it with crown moldings to accentuate your elegant house.
Pros:
- It is versatile and can be used for various purposes.
Cons:
- It is somewhat tedious.
Sculpted mid-height baseboard trim has a special design. The top part of it features scallops or steps that taper toward the wall creating a luxurious look to your house.
Baseboards Styles – Third
Hint: It will be better if you combine it with quarter round or shoe molding.
Pro:
- It will help you accentuate the luxurious look of your house
Cons:
- It’s not suitable for contemporary house.
Sculpted taller baseboard molding is similar to the later one but it is taller and the scultural decoration is more sophisticated and exquisite. No wonder it us tge most expensive of all trims.
Baseboards Styles – Fourth
Hint: it is very suitable for large rooms with high ceilings.
Pros:
- It provides luxurious look.
Cons:
- It costs an arm and a leg.
Wood Baseboard Product
Wood baseboard products have been the favorite of every homeowner because they are versatile, easy to paint, and fits in the existing moldings well.
Hint: consider buying wood baseboard product that has the same species as your flooring does.
Pros:
- Easy to mix and match to existing molding.
Cons:
- Too common to be used.
Home Depot Baseboard Molding
Home Depot is one of the leading home improvement stores that provides various kinds of baseboard moldings. You can get wood molding, MDF, plastic molding, you name it.
Hint: if you haven’t made up your mind yet, you can visit homedepot.com to see the available baseboard moldings and their price along with some reviews.
Pros:
- It provides superb baseboards.
Cons:
- It is only available in the US.
Cheap Baseboard Ideas
If you think that baseboard can only cover the base of your wall, think again! Baseboards and moldings are versatile accessories for your house. It can be cheap depends on the material that you choose. Instead of installing them on the bottom part of your wall, you can install it between the top of your wall and the ceiling.
Hint: to make this idea less expensive, you can use MDF baseboards and moldings as they look like wood and can be painted or stained.
Pros:
- It is affordable and durable enough.
Cons:
- It is weaker than the real wood.
Plastic Baseboard Product
There are many plastic baseboard products available in home improvement stores. Don’t be overwhelmed with an abundant of choices. You can try plastic baseboard by M-D Building Products 73896. It is flexible and easy to install. It will provide a nice finished look to your house. Besides, it is affordable.
Hint: If you use sheet rock, make sure you attach this baseboard using the appropriate adhesive and it will be attached firmly.
Pros:
- It is less expensive than wood baseboard.
- It us easy to install.
Cons:
- It is not environmentally friendly.
Baseboard Molding Styles
Moldings can be dispensable sometimes. But if you install them correctly, they can accentuate the wall of your house very much. They can make your house look elegant and luxurious. But, choosing the appropriate moldings can be a bit tricky. You need to decide the style of your house.
Hint: crown molding is very suitable for the house with high ceilings and provides a luxurious touch.
Pros:
- Moldings provide nice finished look.
Cons:
- It will be a bit costly and need a lot of work.
Those are baseboard styles that you need to know before purchasing one. You might want to consult someone in a home improvement store to get the best baseboard that suits your need and style very well.
