Large gap between baseboard and floor. There might be different reasons for the gap between the baseboard and floor. It could be the fault of the inexperienced contractor or moisture causing the joist rotting.
Even it could be the early sign of the foundation settlement. The large gaps affect the aesthetic beauty of your house. Although a small gap is not a major issue it can be sometimes a problem creator.
Gaps are also a favorite place for pests to hide and they could be difficult for you to find. There is another big issue of large gaps, they increase your heating bills.
Large gap between baseboard and floor
You can fill the gaps by knowing the problems: common filling methods are,
- Applying the Caulk to fill the gap
- Replacing the baseboards
- Using the trim strips.
- Applying the shoe molding.
Causes of the large gaps
There are several reasons that cause the gaps between the floor and baseboards, which we are going to discuss in detail.
Age of the house: age of the house is a common factor, if your house is old, it can be the reason for the gaps between the floor and baseboard. The joints and structure of your house start to sink and settle with the increase in age.
Poor construction: sometimes an inexperienced constructor or poor construction can be the reason your baseboard gets sags.
Moistures: excess moisture or the water on the floors affects the boards like rotting and other common issues, so the excess moisture can also create this problem.
Filling The large gap B/W baseboard and floor
With knowledge of home improvements, you can fix the gaps easily. Even it could be the opportunity to step into home improvements.
You can use caulk, additional molding, or insulate the area. Replacing the baseboards can also fix the problem. Let’s discuss the methods in detail.
Using a caulk: caulk is an effective and useful way of filling the gaps when you want to retain the aesthetic beauty of your house. The experts suggest using waterproof, latex caulk with the choice to easily paint.
Apply the caulk sparingly and then push with any object like a knife to sit properly. caulk is suitable only when the gaps are small, for large gaps try another method.
Apply shoe molding: shoe molding is the best option when the gaps are too high and you want to fix them. Use wood glue to apply the shoe molding. While buying the molding for the gaps make sure they are perfect size otherwise its useless.
Think of Insulation to fill the gaps: insulating the area helps to fix the gaps. Insulation also helps to keep your house warm and reduces the heating bill. Add new insulation to fix the large gaps between the baseboard and floors, as you used with your windows.
Replacing the baseboards: it is very helpful to get rid of the gaps. Take the older baseboards and replace with a slightly larger one. Apply the wood glue with new baseboards it would be handy.
Use trim strips: trim strips are very useful when you don’t want to repaint or apply glue. Measure the length of the gaps and cut the trim strips accordingly. The strips easily fold between the floor and the baseboards to fill the unwanted gaps.
Complete Explain
Conclusion
The efficiency and the aesthetic looks are incredibly important things for every homeowner. By filling the unwanted gaps, you can keep your house eco-friendly.
Moreover, filling the gaps between the floor and baseboards helps a lot in keeping the home warm in shivering cold winter.
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