My husband and I purchased a house back in December. It’s a nice little rancher on an acre or so of land - perfect for us and our little girl.
I’m having a blast slowly rehabbing it, mostly with paint and minor repairs. We tore down some nasty old faux wood paneling, spackled the thousand or so holes, and painted. It looks fantastic. Now we need to put up new crown and base moulding as the old stuff was damaged in the take-down.
I have already resigned myself to hiring a pro to put up the crown moulding at $600 if we we buy and paint all the moulding ourselves. But I really want to attempt to put up the base moulding myself. It would be another $600 just to install that. It seems easy enough. I already tore down and replaced some chair rails in the dining room and kitchen using a hammer, nails, and my friend’s miter saw.
What all do I really need to buy to get this job done? I already have a miter saw in mind that I found a few weeks ago. Do I also need a nail gun/brad nailer/something else similar?
outside corners should be cut with the miter saw, but the inside corners should be coped. all you will need is a coping saw which is similar to a small hacksaw. Base molding is very simple. a small air nailer would be ideal for installation.
A nailer is indeed very handy. I have a DeWalt cordless (battery-operated) nailer that I like a lot for this kind of thing, but it is over $300. Be prepared for your corners to be something over than 90 degrees, though.
And if the molding stock is unpainted wood, I’d definitely prime with an oil-based primer – maybe even twice. Otherwise the grain will ghost through the latex topcoat.
I agree with coping the inside corners, they seem to fit better because of the feathering of the drywall mud in the corner. They aren’t square. A finnish nailer is great but make sure the depth adjustment is right and use a brad nailer close to ends because they seem to help with deterring splitting at those points. Make sure the seams are mitered at overlap and that the overlap is made at studs if possible. Nailguns have become a lot cheaper now so buying one isn’t a great expense. I am a builder so I had to buy high quality tools so the guys wouldn’t break them. If you buy a cheaper one they will last ok for occasional use but you can’t be walking on them or dropping things on them. Have fun with you’re remodeling, it’s always better to put a little of yourself into you’re house. It turns a house into a home. I always tried to get the homeowners involved with working on projects so the creation could be partly theirs also. Putting part of oneself into your home makes you appreciate it more. Always remember that if it’s not perfect that there is noone perfect in this world either. If it’s not at eye level or across from the toilet or above you’re bed that not many will see it. Have fun