OK, So I need to install baseboards. I’m not going to buy a power mitre saw (one room only, that I hung new sheet rock in), but I thought about using my circular saw to cut the 45 degree angles. Is this a bad idea? Should I just drop a few bucks for the old fashion mitre box? Then again there is the coping saw option…
So, what say ye?
I have a few other questions as I finish the job, so I’ll likely keep this thread open for a while.
Thanks,
E3
How about simply renting a power mitre saw for the duration?
It might barely be possible, with clever jigging, to get a setup that’s safe, accurate, and produces acceptably clean cuts using a circular saw. but I wouldn’t bet on it. One of your biggest problems is that you’re going to quickly discover that your walls aren’t actually 90 degrees to each other and the floors aren’t exactly level and you’re going to have to tweak the angles. Much easier to do this with a good mitre box or compound mitre saw.
Agreed. In view of the time you’ll spend (and the stock you may waste) trying to do this job to an acceptable standard with a circular saw, you’re probably better off looking for a miter saw to borrow (they’re becoming rather common) or rent.
For ordinary baseboard molding a simple 10" miter saw may be more than sufficient. complex compound miters and large capacities only come into play when doing things like crown moldings. A proper miter saw will be so much more accurate and easy than you can do otherwise.[
FWIW I’m doing my own work this way after I pay someone to do the drywall repairs and retexturing since I want to put stained molding on the painted walls.
If you dont want to do mitres, there are corner blocks for baseboards available. You might have to hunt for them but they can look pretty cool. They generally have a little finial on them.
For the inside corners, you can cope them, this gives you the best joint. Lay one piece into the corner all the way in, this side should be opposite the most common site lines. E.g, when you enter a room, the wall opposite should have a full width biece of basebaord on it.
On the adjoining pieces, you cut a 45 degree angle, this is pretty easy to do even on a hand miter box. The with a sharp razor knife trim out the excess of the cut leaving you with a prfile when the piece is viewed fro mthe front. Be careful at the top of the piece where the ogees are small. Then you butt that against the straight piece and voila! instant tight joint that self corrects for differences in wall angles. Then it’s a breeze to mark for the outside corner blocks and off you go.
Is there anything special about the texturing? If not consider doing it yourself - just apply one or two thin coats of joint compound with an ordinary paint roller (choose a thicker nap roller for a more “figured” surface). It’ll cost you less than $20 for tools and materials and looks great. No texture gun needed and it’s very low-mess.
I’ve considered that but I need several repairs and it isn’t something I;ve done enough plus I wante to have the old paint stripped, popcorn ceiling scraped and a troweled on texture applied not to mention some touched like radisued edged. I’ll also have some new doors hung at the same time. Much better to pay for the expertise and do what I am comfortable with. Perhaps I’ll experiment some and do it myself but since I work on the road as a consultant my time is rare.
Is there a drywall guru around who can help me with the best way to strip the old paint and do the radused edges?
Why do you want to strip the old paint? 
While a rental shop power mitre may not have the best blade, it’s not terribly difficult to learn. Athough they were only working with quarter round, most of the people in my class get reasonable joints quite quickly using a narrow coping blade and sharp utility knife to improve the joint and backcut. A Dremel with sanding drum is another handy accessory for improving the fit of a coped/butt joint.
I didn’t realize how cheap mitre boxes were. You can get a pretty nice one that locks the trim down when cutting for about $15. I suppose I could rent a mitre saw. I need tocheck into the price on that. Then again, it’s just one room… for now.
What’s the most common problem of a 3-way switch not working correctly? My hall has a light switch at either end for the hall light. The south end switch only works if the north end switch is in one position.
switch 1 up, switch 2 up, light is on
switch 1 up, switch 2 down, light is off
switch 1 down, switch 2 up light is off
switch 1 down, switch 2 down, light is off
I thought the three way switch was bad, but I replaced it, and it’s the same.
What gives?
One of the switches is likely miswired. Each of the two switches will have a terminal marked ‘Common’ whose screw is black, as opposed to the other two screws, which are gold. One switch common should be connected to the fixture load wire (black) and the other switch common should be connected to the panelboard or fusebox supply hot wire (black).
Cutting wide stock (baseboards or anything more than 3 inches) is a royal pain! Rent the saw! Make sure it can cut the whole width of your stock, ie a sliding mitre saw .
Ya sure switch 1 is a three way?
Well tell me if it doesn’t but the existing walls are already textured but have several repairs that are obvious and gloss paint that the fresh joint compound probably wo’nt adhere to well.
Gloss paint on the textured areas?
Semi-gloss but I don’t think that putting another layer over the existing paint is the best idea. I considered renting a big drywall sander and at least scuffing and evening things out so the joint compound will adhere better. Am I way out of line here or what?
The other part is re pair edges and possibly removing the metal edging to do radiused corners. Am I buying myself much more difficulty by tryign to do this? As it is I have to repair a lot of damaged edges - hacked with a knife but a teenager - and I don’t want to get in over my head.
It boils down to the time I have available and lack of helpers that know their ass from a mineshaft.
Yep, that’s the one I replaced, so I know it’s a 3 way. That’s what I thought too (either that or it was somehow bad) so that’s the one I replaced.
If I miswired it, would it do that?
Yup. I’ve had to try every combination of wire/terminal, before it worked (sometimes bad electricians don’t follow the standard wiring rules (real fun to find out the GREEN wire is hot)
That’s probably the best way to start. Just be REAL CAREFUL not to sand too deep. If you do the paper surface of the drywall will get shredded, and be a bitch to get smooth (three coats of mud later and I still had paper shreds showing).
Warning: This is going to create a lot of dust!
If you have the option of a sander with a dust collection system, GET IT!
Seal off the room as best you can, open any windows and use fans to get the dust out of the room (and don’t be surprised when still you find the dust in every room in the house!).
Filter masks are ok, but a respirator would be better.
The only real problem is if you want smooth walls. Your basically putting a skim coat of plaster on the walls and anything less than PERFECT is going to be obvious when you paint.
Smooth walls = professional (not DIY).
If your going to do a textured finish, go for it! Just be sure to mix the mud well and experiment to see if it’s too stiff for your intended texture.
BTW You can add pigment to the mud, no need to paint then!
Removing the metal corner edging shouldn’t be a problem, there’s just a thin coat over the corner bead. I’d tap it with a hammer, just to crack the mud, then use an old chisel or stiff putty knife to get the mud off. If it’s screwed on your golden. Nailed on, it can be a headache, just go slow and use a small pry bar. Drywall nails usually rust (even in the wall!) and can be tough to get out.
To do the rounding get a drywall rasp.
Don’t try to do the radiusing with it! Just work the corner flat, radius the mud. Don’t try to get it with one coat, layers are the trick. Joint compound, (Spackle, mud) shrinks as it drys, a thick layer will crack and you’ll just have to go over it with another coat anyway.
You can make a tool to do the finish coat.
Get some fairly thick plastic sheet (thick enough to be stiff, but thin enough to cut) and cut it to your desired radius (imagine a cross section of the wall, IE a right angle with the radius instead of a corner) you can then use this to run the finish layer of mud.