# Is it cheaper to build your own baseboards?



## Michael_JL (Apr 1, 2013)

I want to replace the base boards in my house (originals are fine, just too many layers of paint, damage, etc.). 

Its too expensive to replace them with already profiled base boards - and im looking for something a bit more simplistic (4"-4.5" rectangle boards w/ a simple profiled piece of 1/2" quarter round). I have access to more than enough router bits to do the quarter round profiling.

Does anyone have any tips or advice? 

thanks


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

It costs less to buy the baseboards. The mill can do it much more efficiently and consistently than you can.

For comparison, here's a typical baseboard.

https://www.menards.com/main/doors-...-pine-colonial-base-wm623/p-1444447334360.htm

Here's a piece of 1x4. You'll need to work it to get what you need.

https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...s/1-x-4-select-pine-board/p-1444444782792.htm


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You might consider MDF base molding. It's cheap and looks good when painted. It's just not suited for wet locations.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

I agree with Steve. If you're painting, MDF is hard to beat from a cost perspective. And it's really easy to cope cut.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Depends on how much you value your time. I did the math on it a long time ago, can't remember the exact figures but in terms of materials, !among your own vastly won out on the price front, but its a time consuming exercise. Something like MDF you have to factor in the time and effort lugging that full sheet around, cutting it down into 4 inch or whatever strips and then routing the profile in. Nothing difficult by any stretch, but you figure it'll take about 20 minutes for each 8 foot length of molding. 

Personally I'd rather spend my time over my money, so I've got no issues adding an extra few hours to a job if it means saving some money. You may value your time more


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

> Something like MDF you have to factor in the time and effort lugging that full sheet around, cutting it down into 4 inch or whatever strips and then routing the profile in.


...and not to mention all of that MDF dust! Not good for you to breathe.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

MT Stringer said:


> ...and not to mention all of that MDF dust! Not good for you to breathe.


Forgot to mention cleanup time then! To be fair though, you should be wearing breathing protection any time you're making dust, no matter what it is. MDF isn't any better or worse than sawdust once its in your lungs


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

What is your time worth per hour? Buy the baseboard. Remember the manufacturer runs hundreds of feet per hour on automated machinery.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

I believe what you call base board is what we call skirting in UK. DIY stores offer dense foam covered in variety of finishes to match existing wood work.
Very easier to put in place and back usually channelled to take wiring. Here is a company offering MDF

http://skirtingonline.co.uk

johnep


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## Eric LeClair (Aug 12, 2016)

*Time for me*



epicfail48 said:


> Depends on how much you value your time. I did the math on it a long time ago, can't remember the exact figures but in terms of materials, !among your own vastly won out on the price front, but its a time consuming exercise. Something like MDF you have to factor in the time and effort lugging that full sheet around, cutting it down into 4 inch or whatever strips and then routing the profile in. Nothing difficult by any stretch, but you figure it'll take about 20 minutes for each 8 foot length of molding.
> 
> Personally I'd rather spend my time over my money, so I've got no issues adding an extra few hours to a job if it means saving some money. You may value your time more


Yeah I guess it all depends on what do you want to keep more of. Time or money. I would spend the $$$ then the time. Pretty much how I do anything these days.


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## ronbergley (May 19, 2014)

My guess is you will create more waste cutting your own wood than you will save in price. That said it might be fun to give it a whirl. You can create a unique pattern that only you will have in your home and that could be very cool. I say get a piece of lumber and give it a try. If it works well then go for it. Might turn into a milling business for you. Who knows.

Ron
Quality Custom Interiors


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## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

No mater what material you choose, buying material at retail will cost you more than buying the moldings. Spend your time learning how to cope the inside corners. 
I buy my materials through industrial distributors and run a nice molder and I can not produce moldings for the price of the big box stores. 
I buy a few thousand board feet at a time, molding companies buy rail car loads at a time. I run my molder at 35'/minute they run theirs at 500'/minute using automated ripping and feeding systems. 
If you decide to make your own base, are you going to put the backout cut in it so you will get a better installation?


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I've made my own moldings in the past, but only because I wanted to, I had the rough sawn wood left from building cabinets or vanities for the room I was redoing. It's not cost effective, but in my case, I made some 5" tall base and 3" casing from some real nice ash. Made my own profiles to look sort of like a custom colonial molding. They turned out nice but it's definitely a lot of work, several setups and some sanding to boot. We have a local mill shop that makes a pretty good variety of nice moldings, that's where I usually go.
Mike Hawkins


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## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

If you already have the equipment, or need enough moldings to justify buying whatever equipment you don't have, AND you have access to affordable rough cut lumber then there is no reason not to make your own moldings.
I pay, on average, $2-2.50 a board foot for locally grown 4/4 hardwoods like cherry, red oak, maple, walnut, ash and popular. Big box stores sell 3 1/4 inch pine baseboard for about $1.20 a linear foot, oak $1.50. I could get 3 linear feet of 3 1/4 molding out of a board foot, so yes, material wise you can make it cheaper. Probably for half the cost. 

Your rectangular moldings would require a jointer, planer, table saw and router table. 

But there are plenty of other reasons to make your own moldings, especially if you invest in a molder. The inexpensive moldings from big box stores are less then 1/2 inch thick, by making them yourself you can control how thick you want them and by varying the thickness of various moldings you can create dramatic effects in your room.
By making them yourself, you have far more choices in woods, not just pine and oak or PVC.
By making them yourself, you have far more choices in profiles when making your own molding, in fact, if you want to exactly recreate existing moldings, or something you've seen elsewhere, you can have custom knives made.
By making the moldings yourself you are in complete control, so why not?


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

"I could get 3 linear feet of 3 1/4 molding out of a board foot"
Lots of luck with that! Reality check.... Rough lumber does not come straight! Even FAS does not come defect free! This grade is made from the worst face in rough sawn and from the best face in planed. The rip saw blade takes 5/32 out. Blanks are ripped 1/4" over to allow a bit of molder straightening and to remove the saw marks. There is always end trim lose! Some boards will curve too much in ripping to be used! Some lumber will be inclined to have chip-outs that make pieces in useable. Add up the loses and you will get about a 50% yield. How do I know? I've made moldings commercially for 30 years.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

Speaking of quarter rounds, I tried the mdf kind. It had a tendency to split when I nailed it in. I switched back to pine. Just an FYI for a DIY.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Buy it.


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## Iamsoofun (Dec 4, 2021)

You actually eat wood all the time go look it up. It is in alot of foods


epicfail48 said:


> Forgot to mention cleanup time then! To be fair though, you should be wearing breathing protection any time you're making dust, no matter what it is. MDF isn't any better or worse than sawdust once its in your lungs


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## Tom-G (Nov 11, 2012)

Iamsoofun said:


> You actually eat wood all the time go look it up. It is in alot of foods


Lamsoofun - this is a 4 year old thread. Also, the item you quoted is about breathing in sawdust, not eating it.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Tom-G said:


> Lamsoofun - this is a 4 year old thread. Also, the item you quoted is about breathing in sawdust, not eating it.


I had "heard" that Mc Donald's burgers were made from cardboard? Probably some amount of truth to that. That didn't stop me from buy two egg and sausage Mc Muffins this AM.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> I had "heard" that Mc Donald's burgers were made from cardboard? Probably some amount of truth to that. That didn't stop me from buy two egg and sausage Mc Muffins this AM.


I don't think their burgers are but certainly the fir's are.


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## kiwi_outdoors (Jan 15, 2020)

I detest anything to do with baseboards, becasue it involves being down on floor and being bent over. I would not add the extra burden of having to make the darned things.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

kiwi_outdoors said:


> I detest anything to do with baseboards, becasue it involves being down on floor and being bent over. I would not add the extra burden of having to make the darned things.


Making base boards is woodworking. You still have to install diy builds or store bought.


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

The last pine baseboard I bought was actually plywood.


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## B Coll (Nov 2, 2019)

Michael_JL said:


> I want to replace the base boards in my house (originals are fine, just too many layers of paint, damage, etc.).
> 
> Its too expensive to replace them with already profiled base boards - and im looking for something a bit more simplistic (4"-4.5" rectangle boards w/ a simple profiled piece of 1/2" quarter round). I have access to more than enough router bits to do the quarter round profiling.
> 
> ...


You will never get the consistency you would like with a router, especially if it is hand held. Longer runs will be a pain in the butt. I have made base cap without a molder, but do it on a spindle shaper with a molding head and a power feed. I would approach it this way, I tend to be a traditionalist. I would research, if you do not already know, the design of your home and year it was built. I would mold it with architecturally correct period molding, and order it in MDF, as mentioned in other posts. MDF comes pre-primed and takes paint extremely well. Like what was also mentioned, it is not conducive to high moisture areas and water contact.


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## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

Michael_JL said:


> I want to replace the base boards in my house (originals are fine, just too many layers of paint, damage, etc.).
> 
> Its too expensive to replace them with already profiled base boards - and im looking for something a bit more simplistic (4"-4.5" rectangle boards w/ a simple profiled piece of 1/2" quarter round). I have access to more than enough router bits to do the quarter round profiling.
> 
> ...


I had a job that required 8" base ,ogee on top and 3/4" cove molding at the floor. 8" pine, poplar etc was hard to find that was not warped , cupped etc. Instead I ripped MDF to size. Primed and painted before installing. Joints were butted with
#20 biscuits . I would glue the joints and pull it tight with


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## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

Somehow the last sentence in my post was erased. 
I would glue the joints and pull it tight with pinch dogs. Pinch dogs are driven on the back side so the holes don't show. 
MDF paints well . Only down side it is heavier than wood. I glue and pull the seams together on the floor next to the wall . Usually 2 hours is enough time for glue to set. Then remove the pinch dogs and tip the base up into place. 
I toe nail 15 gauge nails into the top of the base and low on the bottom. This hides nail holes and filling them is not needed. Some fellows would screw the base with finish screws, I prefer nailing.
mike


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Iamsoofun said:


> You actually eat wood all the time go look it up. It is in alot of foods


Last i checked the stomach and lungs are separate organs. Its not healthy to have ground beef in your lungs either


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## B Coll (Nov 2, 2019)

epicfail48 said:


> Forgot to mention cleanup time then! To be fair though, you should be wearing breathing protection any time you're making dust, no matter what it is. MDF isn't any better or worse than sawdust once its in your lungs


MDF=Mucho Dust Flying


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