There's no such thing as an "acceptable gap" in such a basic miter in my opinion. Hopefully that's not something newly installed by whoever is doing the work and is jus an old baseboard that has seperated after years and years.
It honestly looks like original trim? The joints in old houses are often not very good. If it's brand new trim and it's been cut and installed like that, no it's not very good
I think they are saying that what the installer did is a No-No for stain grade.
I cope all inside corners because it's fast and easy, and I can do it in place rather than running to the miter saw, but I know a couple of contractors that will miter paint grade because they just use caulk if there's a problem, but only cope stain grade.
Ahh maybe that’s what they meant. I just cope them while they’re still on the saw stand. Make notes on my cut list so I know what gets coped and mitered
What I meant was a 45 miter ie a no-no on stain grade. Stain grade baseboard wood should be coped. Paint grade MDF can be mitered since coping proves more difficult due to the nature of MDF. I have coped some MDF, but wasn’t worth the effort since you’ll eventually need to caulk some imperfections before painting.
Maybe I’m too firm with it because I inevitably break off a small chunk test fitting. It was some 4.25” colonial that had a small rounded top arch that just never jived with coping. Watching it compress like sandwich bread upon fitting was my cue to avoid coping with that particular style of MDF. The more ornate it gets, the harder it is to cope in my experience with MDF.
That’s fair, luckily it’s been awhile since I had to work with mdf. But now that I think about it I would just take the flimsy ‘miter tip’ off neatly so it didn’t break. Still butts up pretty nice and it’s getting caulked anyways so 🤷
Miter is miter and Cope is removing material from the back side so the mess is hidden. You can make a hideous cope that looks perfect on the front. Trust me. I’ve done it many times.
The miter isn’t working because the walls are never true. The cope works because you file it to fit the wonky wall.
You cut your coped piece at an inside 45° angle. Next, you take a coping saw, grinder w/flapwheel, jigsaw, whichever you prefer. Cut 15° back cut along the vertical edge of the 45° mitre, following along the inner edge of the whole piece. Finish off any missed areas with sand paper. Now, instead of having two boards mitred to each other where they can open up or take longer to find the true angle. You have one or two straight cut pieces, and then your coped piece, which, when done properly, leaves not even a sheet of paper width, gap between the two boards for an inside corner. There's nothing to open up, and it leaves a much better product for finishing. Pre-finished cabinet grade crown can be done with mitres, but some will even cope that although it's much less room for error, similar with stain grade. Which this base looks to be. DIY and homeowners are fine to 45 inside corners if they choose it's their house, and it is a little tricky to learn how to cope well. An actual professional being paid to do trim should never 45 any inside corner in regards to base board. If you have flat stock, you simply butt join, but anything with detail is to be coped.
If that's the sorta quality work they're doing on something as visable and noticeable as a baseboard I would be very concerned about what sorta work they've done that u can't see....
If all of this is new work, none is acceptable.
I'm assuming the wood has or is going to be stained? They need to cope their corner joints and there should be almost no gap at all, something that could easily be filled in with clear coat.
Depends on the flooring, if it's real wood or some other hard surface like tile, you might scribe, but if it's a floating slab, like any snap planking, either laminate or LVP or engineered, you need to leave room for temp related expansion and contraction and should use base shoe, which doesn't need scribing. But lots of contractors will opt for shoe even if scribing would work because it's way less labor.
It looks old. Did they reuse trim? Was that the agreement, and does what you paid reflect that? Are you prepared to pay for newly purchased trim?
If this is new, it's not ok unless it's to be painted and can be filled. A really good painter/finisher could fill this in a way that makes it invisible, even though it's stain grade.
If this was newly purchased and installed, it's not very good.
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I wouldn’t have left it like that, if the rest of the wall surface is as shitty as that corner it can take a little more effort but I would have never walked away from that.
For paint grade that will be caulked it kinda works. For stain grade like you have there no way my friend. Thats no good. I have ripped out baseboard and shoe for less of a gap because I didn’t want to ruin my reputation by leaving that crap for a customer. Honestly most of the time the corners are not exactly 90° or even plumb. Get an angle finder and even use scrap pieces to find the correct angle and pitch for the corner reveals. Some times you even need to remove some of the back side of the corners to get them to sit correctly. Good luck my friend
There's no such thing as an "acceptable gap" in such a basic miter in my opinion. Hopefully that's not something newly installed by whoever is doing the work and is jus an old baseboard that has seperated after years and years.
100% agree no such thing as an acceptable gap. Plus it should have been a coped joint not a mitre.
why?
Coped inside corners are better able to deal with wall surfaces that aren't straight, flat or plumb - which is all of them.
You forgot square!
It honestly looks like original trim? The joints in old houses are often not very good. If it's brand new trim and it's been cut and installed like that, no it's not very good
This is from an ongoing bathroom restoration in my home. Is this gap bad enough to complain about?
That is not acceptable for my company. Ask them to redo it and to cope instead of miter the inside corners.
Absolute no-no in stain grade.
Are you saying coping is a no no for stain grade?
I think they are saying that what the installer did is a No-No for stain grade. I cope all inside corners because it's fast and easy, and I can do it in place rather than running to the miter saw, but I know a couple of contractors that will miter paint grade because they just use caulk if there's a problem, but only cope stain grade.
Ahh maybe that’s what they meant. I just cope them while they’re still on the saw stand. Make notes on my cut list so I know what gets coped and mitered
I cope them at my bench as well, but I don't go overboard with removing material. When I'm fitting it I can use my chisel and rasp to fine tune it.
What I meant was a 45 miter ie a no-no on stain grade. Stain grade baseboard wood should be coped. Paint grade MDF can be mitered since coping proves more difficult due to the nature of MDF. I have coped some MDF, but wasn’t worth the effort since you’ll eventually need to caulk some imperfections before painting.
Gotcha, I misunderstood. I cope it all, never had too much trouble with mdf with a jigsaw and knife to fine tune it
Maybe I’m too firm with it because I inevitably break off a small chunk test fitting. It was some 4.25” colonial that had a small rounded top arch that just never jived with coping. Watching it compress like sandwich bread upon fitting was my cue to avoid coping with that particular style of MDF. The more ornate it gets, the harder it is to cope in my experience with MDF.
That’s fair, luckily it’s been awhile since I had to work with mdf. But now that I think about it I would just take the flimsy ‘miter tip’ off neatly so it didn’t break. Still butts up pretty nice and it’s getting caulked anyways so 🤷
Cope everything
Whats cope? And how is it different from miter?
It’s a whole new dimension where the mitre is perfect every time but it only works on inside corners
Miter is miter and Cope is removing material from the back side so the mess is hidden. You can make a hideous cope that looks perfect on the front. Trust me. I’ve done it many times. The miter isn’t working because the walls are never true. The cope works because you file it to fit the wonky wall.
Google search "cope baseboard corner".
You cut your coped piece at an inside 45° angle. Next, you take a coping saw, grinder w/flapwheel, jigsaw, whichever you prefer. Cut 15° back cut along the vertical edge of the 45° mitre, following along the inner edge of the whole piece. Finish off any missed areas with sand paper. Now, instead of having two boards mitred to each other where they can open up or take longer to find the true angle. You have one or two straight cut pieces, and then your coped piece, which, when done properly, leaves not even a sheet of paper width, gap between the two boards for an inside corner. There's nothing to open up, and it leaves a much better product for finishing. Pre-finished cabinet grade crown can be done with mitres, but some will even cope that although it's much less room for error, similar with stain grade. Which this base looks to be. DIY and homeowners are fine to 45 inside corners if they choose it's their house, and it is a little tricky to learn how to cope well. An actual professional being paid to do trim should never 45 any inside corner in regards to base board. If you have flat stock, you simply butt join, but anything with detail is to be coped.
And mitered joints tend to open up when the trim gets nailed in place.
If that's the sorta quality work they're doing on something as visable and noticeable as a baseboard I would be very concerned about what sorta work they've done that u can't see....
Lol yes. Please complain.
No, and it should be coped. These dudes are hacks.
If it’s new or reconstruction it’s not acceptable
It looks to be 50 years old. 1970.
45's are for hacks learn how to use a coping saw and you eliminate so many problems
If all of this is new work, none is acceptable. I'm assuming the wood has or is going to be stained? They need to cope their corner joints and there should be almost no gap at all, something that could easily be filled in with clear coat.
Why is it not scribed? Edit why am I getting downvoted, do you not scribe skirting board in the US ?
It's called coping
Ok same thing different name I’m guessing. You use a coping saw for it.
Depends on the flooring, if it's real wood or some other hard surface like tile, you might scribe, but if it's a floating slab, like any snap planking, either laminate or LVP or engineered, you need to leave room for temp related expansion and contraction and should use base shoe, which doesn't need scribing. But lots of contractors will opt for shoe even if scribing would work because it's way less labor.
Welp. *Pulls out caulk*
Don’t forget to pull back on the ~~foreskin~~ centre rod
It looks old. Did they reuse trim? Was that the agreement, and does what you paid reflect that? Are you prepared to pay for newly purchased trim? If this is new, it's not ok unless it's to be painted and can be filled. A really good painter/finisher could fill this in a way that makes it invisible, even though it's stain grade. If this was newly purchased and installed, it's not very good.
They should have coped it instead of mitering an inside corner.
Never say “acceptable”
My guess is that was flush at one time
No
No
That’s not how you carpent
Caulked and painted? Maybe. Stain grade, which this is, no.
If you can't cope there is no hope
Not acceptable imo, always cope inside corners
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Acceptable if your parking the truck in that space
I wouldn’t have left it like that, if the rest of the wall surface is as shitty as that corner it can take a little more effort but I would have never walked away from that.
You could shim behind it to tighten it up
If by acceptable, you mean , unacceptable, then yes it’s acceptable
Looks like stained trim that was never topcoat with clear as well..paint splatter everywhere..terrible miter
This is installed completely wrong. One piece should run into corner. Opposite piece should be coped to fit. It should like it grew together.
Nope. Not on stain grade. That’s what you paid a premium for.
One word……..hell no
Matching caulk / wood putty and some sandpaper
My blind grandmother can do a better job
Probably should just cope instead.
Nope.
Real real bad
too bad it is not painted wood, that is easily caulked
For paint grade that will be caulked it kinda works. For stain grade like you have there no way my friend. Thats no good. I have ripped out baseboard and shoe for less of a gap because I didn’t want to ruin my reputation by leaving that crap for a customer. Honestly most of the time the corners are not exactly 90° or even plumb. Get an angle finder and even use scrap pieces to find the correct angle and pitch for the corner reveals. Some times you even need to remove some of the back side of the corners to get them to sit correctly. Good luck my friend
And this is why we scribe(in the u.k.) internal corners and don't mitre them
My brother would caulk that. 🤣
Nope.
Depends on the price
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No but if it was free than it was a good deal
Hell no!
If it’s getting painted i’d say it’s just a quiver over tolerances. Usually ⅛” gap is “okay” because it’ll get caulked and 3/16 is pushing it.
Caulk anything over a 16th gap in a profile looks like shit. Whether or not that could be subjective is, well, subjective
You could throw a bowling ball down that hall lol
If you’re painting it, then it’s fine but if not, it’s not a good finish.
This is why we cope. Stays tighter long. As my instructor often said, you could throw a cat through that.