FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
Tips & Techniques

Baseboards for Tile Floors

By Charles Miller Issue 14

The cost of tile cove base is surprisingly high—about $3 to $4 per running foot. On the other hand, scribing a wooden baseboard to a tile floor is very time-consuming. The method I use to install wooden baseboards gives me a water-resistant joint where tile and wood meet, and a fit that looks painstakingly scribed, but isn’t.

First, I bevel the back of my baseboard material as shown in the drawing. The thin edge on the front of the baseboard will usually conform to a well-laid tile floor with a few taps of a hammer — no scribing is necessary. Be sure to use a piece of scrap wood to cushion the hammer blows.

After dry-fitting, I tack the baseboards in place. As I remove them one at a time, I carefully lay a bead of good caulking compound in the void behind the bevel. I like Geocel caulk. Any caulk that oozes out can be cut away after it sets up. Prefinishing the baseboards saves time, and usually gives better results than trying to paint or varnish them in place.

—M. Felix Marti, Monroe, OR

Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller

From Fine Homebuilding #14

Sign up for the Fine Homebuilding Tip of the Day and get daily tips and special offers delivered to your inbox.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. user-248947 | Jan 08, 2017 07:04pm | #1

    Excellent Idea Mr. Marti! I'll use it Myself the Next Time I Do a Job like this.

  2. user-3976312 | May 18, 2019 10:48pm | #2

    FHB #14 ? Does anyone even sell Geocell anymore? Still, the tip still probably could work.

  3. Suburbanguy | May 19, 2019 09:34am | #3

    I remember being proudly shown by a relative how his carpenter had scribed the baseboards to a stone floor in his new home. I valued our relationship and so restrained myself from telling him how absolutely terrible it looked. One's eye is immediately drawn to the uneven edge.
    ...but I'd like to know who is splashing water around in a residential setting such that a sealed joint is required.

    1. gblakev | May 19, 2019 03:41pm | #4

      I agree that fitted baseboards can be ugly and are too much work, but sealing that line between the floor and wall is valuable. Stuff happens. I had a shower drain get clogged with hair and overflow onto the bathroom floor. You don't want water to get into the walls. It will take forever (or never) to dry.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Tips & Techniques

View All
  • Cleaner Tile Demo
  • Handy Hose Holder
  • Pipe-Stand Bucket for Plumbing Jobs
  • Avoid Rotten Posts
View All

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Cleaner Tile Demo

Cardboard boxes lined up with a tiled wall makes demo cleanup quicker and easier.

Featured Video

Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With Viewrail

Learn more about affordable, modern floating stairs, from design to manufacturing to installation.

Related Stories

  • How to Finish Drywall Around a Shower Enclosure
  • Cleaner Tile Demo
  • Sturdy Shower Backing
  • Modern House in the Trees

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • How to Finish Drywall Around a Shower Enclosure
  • Adding a Steam Shower Wellness Experience to Any Home
  • Podcast 351: PRO TALK With Plumber Mike Lombardi, Part 1
  • Moisture Management and the Schluter Shower System
View All

Finish Carpentry

View All Finish Carpentry Articles
  • An open container of wood putty
    Filling Nail Holes in Stained Trim
  • A piece of straight and curbed copper tubing
    Scribe Perfect Curves with Copper Tubing
  • Foolproof Insert Cabinet Doors
    Foolproof Inset Cabinet Doors
  • An image of molding with a gap in the joint
    How to Repair Shrinking Crown Molding
View All Finish Carpentry Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Outdoor Projects
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • 2021 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job
  • Issue 308 - July 2022
    • Pretty Good House Book Excerpt: Copper Farmhouse
    • 10 Dos and Don'ts for Electric In-Floor Heat
    • A Sturdy Rail for Outdoor Stairs
  • Issue 307 - June 2022
    • How to Raise a Post-Frame Home
    • Trimming Deck Stairs
    • Evolving an Energy-Efficient Envelope
  • Issue 306 - April/May 2022
    • Framing Stairs to an Out-of-Level Landing
    • Building a Zero-Energy Home for Less
    • Good-Looking and Long-Lasting Traditional Gutters
  • Issue 305 - Feb/March 2022
    • The Steady Surge in Residential Solar
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: William B. Rose
    • How Good Is Your Air Barrier?

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in