Baseboards transition down the stairs
Andrea Tigulis
7 years ago
Help! We're remodeling our basement and using 5" baseboards. The contractor has installed the trim on the stairs and the transition from the landing to the shoe looks awful in my opinion. He is saying that when using the taller baseboards this is the way it's done, and not to run the 5" trim down the shoe. Anyone have any solutions?? I have spent lots of time searching online for pics to show him, but can't find any specific to this situation and trim size. Thanks!!
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
Andrea Tigulis
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Clean transition from baseboard to wall
Comments (14)Dave, you should go ahead and try that. It may come out fine. The reason I tape off baseboard and paint the walls last is because that is the way I have figured out over the years to have the best final result. It's not so much gravity that makes paint bleed under tape. It's mainly user error ... in other words, the person putting the tape on doesn't push that back edge down. Another way to get bleed is by brushing the paint too much and actually pushing it behind the tape with the bristles of your brush. You may find in the end that taping off a wall over your baseboard that it's not easy to make the tape straight this way. All you can do is try it out....See Morestaircase -transition different flooring upstairs and down?
Comments (5)In 1800s-early 1900s houses, it was common to have different woods on floors ... with the degree of expensiveness declining as you went away from public areas. I lived near one house where the flooring changed from rare hardwoods (inlaid, of course) in the areas visitors would see, to good oak in the family's bedrooms and private areas, to pine planks in the servants quarters. The moldings going up the staircases declined in ornateness with each floor, too. Carved walnut became less ornate oak became plain poplar painted wainscoting as you went up. Often the lower floor's flooring was continued up a staircase, with the change taking place as you stepped onto the next floor. Or at least until the wood was out of sight of the guests ... I have seen staircases where the switch happened at the landing because the upper part of the stairs was out of sight. "The stairs go halfway up to a landing, then 180 degree turn to go up the rest of the way, if that matters. " Take some photos and spend time with an editing software: maybe light wood on the stairs would be a nice contrast, maybe not. Maybe painting the risers to match the moldings and having dark tread would look best. Or match the risers to the lower floor color and the treads to the upper floor Lots of choices and none of them are "wrong"....See MoreBaseboard transition issue
Comments (9)Fixing that problem is much greater than just making that area look seamless. The problem is that the same base molding is being used for two different floor heights. That means the only way to solve the problem is to trim the difference(1/4") off the bottom of the base on the right to get the top of the base molding even. That means redoing all the molding in the room on the right. Another option would be to add the 1/4" to the bottom of the base molding on the left and adding to all the base molding on the room on the left. To make a seamless joint using painted trim, a scarf joint is used. That is a 45° angle joint cut in the end of a piece of trim, the opposing 45° cut on the joining end and the two joined with glue(and finish nails). To make that transition, a piece of the molding needs to be cut about 6" long. Using a multitool or Dremel, the notch is formed and the right side trimmed to the height of the trim on the right on the bottom of that side or the trim on the left is added to to equal the height of the trim on the right. That matches the top and middle trim profiles and the gap matches the transition strip. Then, cut the scarf joints on each end of the new transition section and remove the base molding on each side. Install the new piece and cut the corresponding scarf joints on the old base and reinstall. When done properly, primer will cover and hide the joints. Situations like this are what separates trim carpenters from molding installers....See MoreTransition strip for sliding doors? Baseboard problem. Pics included.
Comments (11)You may be able to rent a floor cutting tool, or even have someone that has one come and cut, that small area in front of the doors that you have. I do know people that have used a dremel, and have done a good job, but, you have to know exactly how to use that dremel, and it takes a special blade, and they are not cheap. By the time you buy the blade, and go through all the hassle of trying to cut it, the guy with the right tool, could have been there, finished it and be gone. Only you can decide just what you want to do. As for the boards you are tryng to use for baseboard, no, just save them, in case, you ever need to put up new casings somewhere. Buy the baseboards and put them down, so things look right. Your floors are pretty. Take the time, to put up proper baseboards to frame them....See More
salex
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoNo. Just... No.
I did all the finish work on my own stairs, so I researched this piece a lot: how to transition baseboard from a landing to another run of stairs. I'll try to paste a photo from Houzz from my Stairs ideabook that shows what it should look like. The skirt on the stairs should continue up and meet the base on the landing.
New front staircase · More Info
Here is a different way of trimming the same situation:
Greenview Private Residence · More InfoPersonally I prefer the top option, and that's what I did in my own house.
It should not look like what you showed - you are correct about that! Good luck with resolution.
salex
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAndrea Tigulis
7 years ago
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
7 years ago
PRODream Home Finishers
7 years ago- PRO
Dream Home Finishers
7 years ago 
Joe Glickman
4 years ago
PROA.W Carter
4 years ago
Related Stories
KITCHEN DESIGNWalls Come a-Tumbling Down in a San Francisco Edwardian
Fewer barriers mean better circulation, flow and connection in this family home, making it brighter and cheerier
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSUpside-Down Plan Brings Light Into a Home’s Living Spaces
An architect raises the roof and adds a third-story addition to an Edwardian house in San Francisco
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESFlights of Fancy: Painted Stair Runners
Instead of carpeting, lay down some paint and give your steps a lift
Full Story
STAIRWAYSHow Walls Can Define the Space of Stairs
Encouraging movement or accentuating a transition, walls have the potential to give stairs the character of rooms
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESHouzz Tour: Couple Pares Down and Pumps Up the Style
A big transition from a large suburban house to a 1,200-square-foot urban condo is eased by good design
Full Story
STAIRWAYSThe Upstairs-Downstairs Connection: Picking the Right Stair Treatment
Carpeting, runner or bare wood? Check out these ideas for matching your staircase floor treatment to upstairs and downstairs flooring
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDES20 Great Examples of Transitions in Flooring
Wood in One Room, Tile or Stone in Another? Here's How to Make Them Work Together
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESTransition Time: How to Connect Tile and Hardwood Floors
Plan ahead to prevent unsightly or unsafe transitions between floor surfaces. Here's what you need to know
Full Story
ENTRYWAYSTransition Zone: How to Create a Mudroom
Save your sanity by planning a well-organized area that draws the line between inside and out
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESSet Staircases Racing With a Striped Stair Runner
Energize your stairway with a carpet runner decked in stripes to go the distance
Full Story
User