HERITAGE-LOOK BASEBOARDS
Give rooms a pedigreed appearance with deep, stately mouldings. Today, most new-builds and condos are trimmed with basic four-inch-high baseboards. Swapping them for baseboards at least eight inches high — or tricking the eye with a simple illusion — adds grandeur.
BUY IT
Solid wood eight-inch baseboards are widely available at big-box stores and specialty moulding retailers. COST: Approx. $15 per linear foot, including installation.
FAKE IT
Mimic deep baseboards by adding chair rail trim above your existing baseboards and painting the space between them the same colour. Here’s how:
1. Mark the height above your existing baseboard where you want the new trim to stop. Measure the height of the chair rail trim and mark the wall where the bottom edge will land.
2. Cut a block of wood the same width as the space between the existing baseboard and the bottom of the chair rail trim to use as a spacer.
3. Cut the trim to length and mitre the ends. Using brads, nail the trim to the wall.
4. Caulk to fill all the gaps and cracks between the wall, baseboard and trim.
5. Apply painter’s tape to the wall along the top edge of the new trim.
6. Prime and paint the baseboard, wall space and chair rail trim the same colour to create the illusion of a solid, high baseboard.
COST: Approx. $1.80 per linear foot for the trim + $5 for a tube of caulking + $10 for painter’s tape + $8 for a box of brads. You’ll need to budget extra for paint and primer, and tool rental, if necessary.