Should I use Liquid Nails or real nails?

I'm about to attach some baseboards to walls and then quarter round to the baseboards. Should I use Liquid Nails or real nails?

And, what is the point of coping a joint if the same effect can be acheived by mitering? Coping just seems like a difficult way to do something really easy.

You'll cuss the glue if you ever find need to try to remove the trim ..... and in time, you **will** need to remove it.

If you have an air compressor, get a nail gun. It **really** makes the job a snap.

Check these guys out. Cheap, made in China stuff, but I have had excellent results with it for my modest needs. I have renovated two houses with their stuff, but I'm no pro. These are way too cheap for pros, but for homeowners, they're great.

On edit ...... coping vs mitering:

Coping gives a much tighter joint.

I use a completely different method: Caulk. :)

edit to the edit ....... here's the link:

http://www.harborfreight.com/

...cinder blocks. No wooden frame for nails to grab on to. Frustrating. So, I had to go the Liquid Nails route, which is easier in some ways and more difficult in others.

and you'll tear the wall to shit if you don't use regular nails (it'll still tear up the wall, but NOTHING like trying to get glue off)

and a little brad gun makes it quick work for sure!

Nails will do better at pulling the molding closer to the wall. If you have any waviness in the wall nails will help pull it up tight. Better yet use trim head screws. They are like a sheetrock screw but with a smaller head(usually with a small square drive).

Copeing has it's points also, but I don't want to get into that. It's just to complicated.

for $39.00 ! It's $100.00 at Lowe's ! Sure brad nails with air nail gun or finish nails ,drill very small pilot holes., that way you will not crack your molding . Better that way for counter sinking your finishers . They use glue where they cannot hit the plate at the bottom or there isn't one! That way see,if the nail don't get it the glue will! The brad nail gun or finishing nail gun gives you much better angle shots where the plate is hard to reach. Or you angle down tword the floor. And of course you don't need pilot holes.

But if you don't have a nail gun ,hammer finishing nails and drill for pilot holes.

...the baseboards and wall. Not huge gaps, but they are clearly visible from across the room. I'm thinking about closing up the gaps with some kind of caulk, but I don't know what kind to use. Also, if the baseboards were factory primed, should I use caulk or wood filler to close up the joints?

I would appreciate any recommendations you make.

You are right., painters caulk it will say printable. Here is what I do. If there are areas where the gaps are wide ,I will fill with sheet rock compound first. You apply it with your fingers by stuffing it in there ,than with a clean rag wipe off your fingers and run you finger along the gap, that gives it a smooth finish look and it will dry that way, You wipe the excess with a damp rag. When that is dry than I caulk. Same method, apply the caulk have rags handy and a pan of water . Run the caulk gun along the molding, go back to starting point and run your finger along the caulked area. Wiping the excess off your fingers as you go . Than go back to starting point with wet rag and clean excess off baseboard molding. Do not touch the finished caulk area, You may swipe the finish areas more than once,but that must be completed before the caulk begins to set up. You don't want to swipe it too many times.And you can tell when the caulk sets up, it's not friendly at that point as the saying goes.You may want to experiment a little before you go for it.

Say a wall is 14 feet. When you run your finger across the the gap, if it runs the length, you run your finger across the full length from beginning to end for a perfect look., Call that invisible. That's after it's painted!

If the gaps are spread apart , From beginning of gap to end, same process.
Be extremely tentative cleaning the excess off the baseboard with the wet rag . Dried caulk leaves a film and will show when painted on surface areas that have not been wiped down properly. And keep the rag away from the finish work. Good luck. And about the glue, don't worry, glued molding isn't hard to remove . It's just a different way about it. LN has been being used in the construction industry since the eighties.In fact it shows up by the truck load where ever there is serious building going on, such as thirty houses or a string of condos,or apartment buildings.It should come as no surprise to run into it .The right tool for the job, just like in the commericals. Another saying in the buusiness, rip it out,throw it away ,buy some more, looks like new. Isn't that why they make MDF molding!! Pine is pretty inexpensive and looks fine painted.3/4 or half round.

I hope this helps.

Caulk ,painters caulk,that's what it's called by name. Wood filler,no. You don't want to have to sand. If the gaps cover over easily with caulk ,use just caulk. Rags ,tea shirt type the best, small bag painters rags about $3.50 . Pan of water. Run finger across caulk line to achieve smooth finish. Wipe excess completely off with well dampened clean rag. Do not disturb your finish caulk line. Let completely dry, and if your caulk line looks good ,paint. If not,do a second pass.


By the way the situation you described is when you use glue. I have run in to quite a few finished off basements where sheet rock is glued to the concrete ,than the framing wall is fer-ed out so when sheet rock in nailed or screwed up it match's the finish concrete wall. The method there is saving time which is money by reducing the amount of framing involved. Needles to say one would not use a concrete pop gun to nail in molding. And so, glue is used. Cool point about it, no nail holes to fill. Looks perfect!

Considering that I have no experience caulking, might I be better off using a tool instead of my finger to finish a bead of caulk?

About the walls...

The space I'm working on is indeed in a basement... which explains the lack of wood behind the walls. The room is small to start with and framing would have reduced the size of the room but I still would have preferred nailing baseboards in instead of gluing them. I feel like I have more control with nails than with LN.

I went with Polyseamseal adhesive caulk since it, unlike DAP caulks, didn't have dire warnings on it.

I'm scared of hazardous fumes. The space I'm going to be caulking in is a basement office with no windows. Is my concern warranted or am I being silly?

Anyway, thanks for the great advice. I will follow it to the letter.

Better without silicone in it.Painters caulk. You can wear latex gloves ,than carefully wipe the damp or wet rag across the seem. But sealing by your finger will show a much better result. Painters caulk wash's off with water. Hence,a pan or bucket of water and painters rags. Bag of 10 latex gloves about $2.50. Painters caulk will not hurt you or anything else.And there are no toxins in it. Adhesive caulk is not as easy to work with. Plain old painters caulk will hold the molding in firm and hide the cracks. It is better if the latex gloves are a tight fit.Also dip you finger in the bucket of water ,and wipe the excess cualk off right away. Also change glove,regarding the hand you are using to run the seam.Have a trash bag handy.

Don't forget to experiment a little before you go into it full bore.
And a progress report.

I ended up using a tool and damp paper towels to smooth the caulk. I tried using my finger in one spot and it worked out okay but since I had already paid for a tool, I felt inclined to use it. :-)

The Polyseamseal was pretty easy to work with and the fumes from it made me only a little bit dizzy. Of course, the Polyseamseal is the only caulk I've ever used so I don't really have a basis for comparison to other caulks.

By the way, thanks for the tip about spackling the big gaps before caulking. I'm pretty sure that the caulk would have sunken down had I not followed your advice.

I think what I learned from my baseboard adventure is that baseboards aren't something you just install and paint. They are sculptural elements which require a bit of patience and finesse. They are simple in theory but complicated in execution. I went from feeling depressed about the way the baseboards looked after I installed them to being quite happy with them after I caulked and painted them. They aren't even near perfect but I don't care. All I want is baseboards which I don't notice. I think I did pretty good for my first time.

Regarding hazardous materials...

I'll have to look around some more for safe caulk. The Polyseamseal is the only brand I've come across which doesn't have extensive warnings on it. Of course, I haven't really looked around except at Home Depot.

Latex base. They put silicone in it (Dap does) It will say painters caulk with silicone, paint-able. But plain old painters caulk ,no silicone is far better for interior caulking and in particular that specific type of job. Even a small amount of silicone can or will make the paint bubble ,looks like pin holes. Silicone repels water. If Home depot doesn't have plain old latex painters caulk, than most any paint store does.Most paint these days is latex base,and it's all over your house. In fact with the improvements to latex paint,enamel /acrylic ,the additives ,latex base paint is really better than oil base. Most anybody that knows paint will tell you that. Latex paint has come a long way.

Good work and you discovered the work behind the finish phase of installing molding! There is a finish phase to everything that you do in home repair. Just fallow up on it in sequence.

Glues are for when you never want something to come apart to be fixed.

Those baseboards might have to be removed someday when the flooring is changed.

If you use nails, then the person doing it won't curse you...and that person might even be yourself.