Should Baseboards Be Caulked At Floor

The idiots who built my house caulked the baseboards to the floor i hate the look.

Should baseboards be caulked at floor.

Caulking baseboards entails applying a sealant along the edges of the floor to seal the gaps between the floor and baseboard or the spaces wall and the baseboard. If i didn t hate this house so much i would install shoe moulding. Caulk is not neccessary as there is no change in plane. Some people caution that the floorboards expand and contract in different seasons hence the crack but i have hardwood floors and never had a problem despite the caulking.

Baseboards must be caulked so that there would be no gaps between the wall baseboards and the floor. Caulking baseboards is easy fast and inexpensive. If the intersection between the wall and the baseboard is caulked it s smooth dirt doesn t tend to collect and if it does it s easy to wipe off. Floor tiles should either have the baseboard rest on top or the grout should be extended to fill the gap.

When setting the tape hold the roll flat up against the baseboard as a guide in positioning the tape first photo above. Absolutely do not caulk between the floor and base. Some of the comments here complain about caulk changing color. Caulking the unfinished wood floor cannot form water tight seals or joints.

Here a video on how to caulk baseboards. Always caulk the bottom of baseboards in the bathroom or any other room before painting. There are several other benefits that you get when it is used home during baseboards. Caulking also prevents baseboards from damage due to water and leakages.

That isn t a problem if the caulk is painted as it should be. In addition its good to note caulking is not recommended for unfinished floor or walls. Applying caulk to baseboards is usually a retroactive measure designed to fill in gaps that occur at the top against the wall or at the bottom adjacent to the flooring. If the intersection isn t caulked it will be a permanent dirt magnet.

Calking after painting may destroy your floor appeal. So are baseboards supposed to be caulked. Use good quality tape 3m 1 blue painter s tape. As far as water getting behind the baseboard i think the odds of that happening are outweighted by the aesthetics grout looks so so much better than caulk.

Yes there are numerous benefits of caulking baseboards in your home. The object is to set the tape at the exact vertical position where the baseboard would make contact with the floor. There are two significant reasons for caulking baseboards. If you have bugs in the walls you can keep them out of the rooms by caulking.