Yeah, there are lots of different “wood-alternative” materials that are used for baseboard and crown moldings and they all look pretty good these days, but it might look a little better if you painted it to give it some texture or color. I’ve found the non-wood stuff to actually be a little more flexible and forgiving than wood (I used some for crown molding in one of my rooms.

You could just slap the boards together and caulk the seams, but that line might be a tad bit more noticeable than angling the seam with an overlap. Of course, the other trick with baseboard seams is to try to work it out so all your seams are behind big, heavy pieces of furniture that you’re unlikely to move in the near future ;-)

If you can cope well, more power to you! :-)

I tried multiple times to cut and cope my baseboard edges so they would fit together like puzzle pieces…and I never got the hang of it. I have turned into a baseboard and crown molding junky and I always (really, it’s obsessive) check out crown and baseboard molding cuts and joins whenever I go somewhere.

I honestly can’t say if I notice one method more than the other. Obviously, if the they’ve been painted over after being joined it’s almost impossible to tell what method was used.

As for shrinkage, yes, I agree. Wood and caulk can and will shrink over time. When I cut my baseboards at a 45 degree angle I do everything I can to make sure they fit tightly, but if I’m off by 1/16th of an inch or so I don’t scrap the whole piece of molding and start over. That’s where the caulk comes in :-)

The gap in my photo up there is a little larger than I would have liked. Some of my other baseboards fit together like clockwork. Really!

I also think the design of the baseboards or molding can determine how easy or difficult it is to cope. A simple pattern might lend itself to coping, while something relatively ornate could be tricky.

Hmm… how far off are they? If it’s just a half inch or so you might be able to slightly angle one of the baseboard up to meet the higher one and it may not be all that noticeable. Another option might be to purposely make the transition from one room to the next “fancier” at the baseboard molding level. Since you have carpet going into tile (I’m guessing it’s one large “room” divided into different areas with flooring), perhaps you could put a little decorative molding connector or centerpiece between the baseboard molding where the two rooms meet. If you go poking around at your local big box hardware store you’ll find lots of plain and decorative “pre-cut” baseboard and molding pieces that are decorative and can be painted. Some are wood, but some are also made of other materials… Let us know what you decide or send a photo, I’d love to help others with this issue because it probably crops up a lot.

For carpet… hmm… I don’t have any wall-to-wall carpet in my current home, but in my previous home I think I took off the shoe molding (but kept the baseboard molding on)…. put down the carpet (okay, I had someone else do that) and then I put the shoe molding back on, putting it low and tight against the edges of the carpet. The shoe molding should always be the last thing down. As for replacing the baseboards in a room with wall-to-wall carpeting you might run into a problem with the carpet’s tack strips actually getting in the way of easy baseboard removal. You’ll still be able to get the baseboards off and put them back in, but it might be a little inconvenient or even damage the edge of the carpeting (which can be hidden by shoe molding!)…

Amy: Thanks for the kind words. I have to get better about posting A LOT more photos and even videos. I’ll be honest: I’m now a baseboard/crown molding nerd and I pay attention to them wherever I go. I have yet to see coping that looks any better than a simple 45 degree angle as long as the baseboards or crown molding is painted. Even if it’s stained, you can get some stainable wood filler that looks pretty good. I’ve put various types of molding in a couple rooms now and never, ever saw the need to cope. I’m sure there is one, I just can’t figure out what it is :-)

And, hey, if any of you have photos of your molding jobs send ‘em to me and I’ll post them with any tips or trips you picked up!

THANK YOU!

Also what kind of complications does carpeting throw into the loop? Are baseboards stapled into the carpet? What do I have to do special when replacing baseboards on carpet? Will the baseboards touch the wood under the carpet or be elevated to be flush with the carpet?

Be fair, the photo is before I painted and cleaned up the corner. It does look a little sloppy in the photo, but it’s actually pretty good looking in my room. You also have to realize that in that photo I’m about 12 inches away from the corner, looking straight at it. Honestly, once a corner is caulked and painted properly you really can’t tell if it’s been coped or not.

And… Guy, if you’re reading a DIY home improvement site like this and you’re working on “some jobs” that require baseboard molding installation maybe you should consider a new line of work :-)

I wouldn’t recommend that any woodworking or carpentry professional try coping a baseboard when the old 45 degree miter and a little caulk and paint will give you the same result with much less frustration.

Yeah, simply cutting at a 45 degree angle and then filling in the slight gap with a little white caulk seems to be about 1000 times easier than trying to cope the edges… and ultimately you get results that are completely indistinguishable as far as I can tell. I do the same with crown molding: skip the coping, go for the simple cut.