BASEBOARDS
When looking into the architectural side
the baseboards which are otherwise referred to as the base molding or the floor
molding is used to cover the bottom part of the interior wall. The material
used here will usually be wood or it will be vinyl board. The main purpose here
is to cover up the joining area of the wall and the floor. With the help of the
baseboards, all the uneven surfaces of the flooring which is next to the wall
will be covered. It is also used to protect the wall from any sort of abrasion
and kicks from shoes. It can also be used as a decorative accessory.
The baseboard usually has the simple plank
which is screwed, glued or nailed to the wall. The baseboards were also used as
decorations in the old houses. The general height of the baseboard will be
around 0.2 m. This is not similar to the wainscot which will be around 1 or
1.5m in height. There are also plastic baseboards available which have plastic
compounds. The most common one is the UPVC. This comes in white and in several
other colors. This baseboard is usually glued to the wall. There are the vinyl
baseboards which are a little difficult to remove as the glue used here is
adhesive. This means that it has a longer lifespan and there is no need for
much maintenance.
The most popular wooden baseboards are
available in all formats. It can be acquired in the lacquered, untreated or the
pre-painted formats. For the pre-painted format, the baseboards can be got from
one piece. Otherwise, the softwoods or the finger jointed woods can also be
used here. There are the hardwoods which are usually lacquered. This is made
from a single piece of wood too. The radiators are at times installed in the
front of the baseboards or in the inner part. This will require hot water for
the heat source. Instead of this, the electric heating can also be used.
The
Pros and Cons
In the case of the wood baseboards, the
most used material is the softwood. This will be long and will need
uninterrupted pine boards along with the finger-jointed pine. The Hardwoods
such as oak and hemlock can also be used instead. These are usually painted or
primed. This will help in reducing the need to purchase all the expensive
hardwoods for covering the beauty of the grain with the help of paint. This
makes the hardwoods stained and sealed. The option of natural grain is seen as
an advantage here.
This option is not seen in other materials
like the MDF. The latter will have to be primed and painted at all times. Most
of the MDF woods are primed and sold. This is not because of the demand, but
because it helps to avoid any damage while shipping. But there is a
disadvantage with the wood baseboard where the split can happen when nailed.
Due to this fact, there should be extra care given during the installation process.