Installing Floor Trim Before Carpet

Then touch up base if need be.

Installing floor trim before carpet.

The pad is great to kneel on but the tack strips aren t. This will help prevent some of the minor scratches the edge of the carpet can cause before it is chiseled behind the tack strip. Baseboard trim before or after carpet baseboard first set on 3 8 wood lath strips tack less set between 3 8 1 2 inch away padding brought up to tack less and carpet installed and stretched over tack less and tucked under base. Install the carpet install the carpet all the way against the wall.

Baseboard is usually installed before the pad. However consult with your installer to be sure they have no concerns. In some cases this will not be possible since. The carpet installer can run the tack strip up to the trim then roll excess carpet under the trim.

If you do you ll likely end up with wavy uneven molding. They will need to be careful not to damage the baseboard when installing the tack strips. You don t need to leave any gaps. Installing base molding before carpet is like installing window door casing before the window door.

When installing the molding don t simply follow the flooring. The molding should be installed after the floor covering and should be adjusted any time the flooring is changed. 3 8 is the maximum needed. 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.

For most installers this is not a problem and can be done easily. You can also put a strip of 2 inch delicate work painter s tape on your trim before the carpet goes down. Keeping the base off the floor helps the carpet installers to tuck the perimeter. The trim will be installed on top.

This way you can make sure you have the. Cut the baseboard get your baseboard cut to the exact length of the space you ll be putting it. Leave about a half inch at the bottom of the trim uncovered then remove it after the carpet is installed. My advise install the trim and doors first and stress to the carpet installers to be as careful as possible.

Pushing your trim back into the corner place a nail about 2 to 3 inches out and nail it off.