Does baseboard trim need to be nailed to the studs?

Answer 1

yes, or use liquid nails.

Answer 2

Yes, two nails in the stud. And some glue wouldn't hurt. Now I know many trim carpenters that just try to hit the sill plate. But if there is a thick floor, like tile or hardwood, then they only have about 3/4" to hit the plate. And many times they miss. Also if you are aiming for a stud, you reduce the chance of hitting a pipe or wire, because the pipe and wire is usually higher than baseboard through the studs and a couple inches from the stud through the sill plate. Sure they have nail plates, but I've seen nails twist over the plate and still hit a copper supply pipe. And it doesn't start leaking heavy right away. Months later the nail rusts out and you have a mess.

Answer 3

The answer to this is ... It depends!


IF the drywall/wallboard does NOT extend all the way down to the floorboards (or carpeting/tile or other flooring material), then YES, you WILL have to use longer length finishing nails to attach the NEW baseboards/trim to the studs.

HOWEVER, if the wallboard/drywall does extend to within a 1/4 inch of the Floorboards (or other flooring material), then I would just use a Finishing Nail Gun and attach the NEW wallboards that way.

How do I know this ... I've taken out SO MUCH of the OLD (and very, very cheap particle board) Baseboards and mouldings .. and replaced them with REAL (and stain grade quality -- which I stained MYSELF) wood .. and did this in almost the entire 1st floor of MY HOME at this time! (Yes, I am an Empty-Nesting Single Retiree and Female -- I enjoy doing my own home renovations). Believe me .. the finish is so much better, the pieces fit much tighter (and the cuts are cleaner), and it just looks more like it SHOULD!

Answer 4

It depends on the wall it self. If the wall is very straight at the base you can nail directly into the drywall. The problem is that 90 % of the walls out there are not as straight as they look, so if you cannot find a stud then you will want to try and hit the bottom plate of the wall ( the bottom 2x4 of the wall). If you get a stud finder and figure out where the center of a stud is you can lay your tape measure out along the wall starting at the center of the stud you found and there should be a stud every 16", a good tape measure will even have a little diamond every 16". Good luck.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does baseboard trim need to be nailed to the studs?

Answer 6

I do with tall baseboard, over 4" or so. Most of the time, I nail to the sill plate, a continuous part of the framed wall that the studs are nailed to, runs along the bottom of the wall.

Answer 7

depends on how far down your drywall goes.

for example I redid 2 different rooms in my house,

1 room the drywall was about 2 inches above my carpet. This requires the baseboard to be nailed to the studs. unless you can figure out another way of holding it into place.

the second room had the the drywall touching the floorboards. in this instance all I used was some liquid nail to glue the baseboard to the finished wall. looks cleaner and easier to do but not all rooms are setup this way

Answer 8

Yes. Nails driven into drywall won't hold and the baseboard will eventually start to pull away from the wall.

Answer 9

most of the people who answered you obviously have never had to re-baseboard their home. I have.

YES it needs to be nailed, but not with regular nails... you need an air compressor and a nail gun that is used for shooting base boards and trim. You don't necessarily have to nail it into studs per se...the nail gun will drive it securely into drywall.... as the nail passes through the base board into the dry wall, it will curve and stay tight.

If you don't want to invest the money, and you don't know anyone to borrow a nail gun from.....you can still buy it, use it, then take it back and get your money back later after you are finished. You can use finishing nails and drive them by hand, but most likely you will damage your baseboard in the process. Nail gun is the professional way to do it.

Answer 10

Nope. Using finishing nails to attach to t he drywall is what you do. Baseboard trim needs nothing more than that.

Answer 11

No.... use small but long finishing nails and nail them into the baseboard.