Installing baseboards can be tedious, but it’s quite straightforward on traditional corners. It may take some time and care, but it’s a project that you can easily do yourself. However, if you want to install baseboards on rounded corners, you’ll need to be a bit more patient.
To install baseboards on rounded corners, you’ll need to measure and cut your baseboards. However, since bullnose corners are rounded, instead of the two 45-degree angle pieces you would need for sharp corners, you’ll need to cut three 22 1/2-degree angle pieces to fit around the curved edge.
In the rest of this article, I’ll go into detail about what you need to know to install baseboards on bullnose corners. This includes explaining what bullnose corners and baseboards are in case this is your first DIY project.
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Guide to Installing Baseboards Around Bullnose Corners
Installing baseboards around rounded corners is a bit more time-consuming compared to square corners. However, it’s not as intimidating as it may seem.
You just need to make sure you have the necessary tools and follow all the steps. But first, let’s cover the meaning of these terms.
Baseboards: Baseboards are the trim strips you often see at the bottom of a wall where it meets the floor. Although they can be made of tiles and vinyl, they are most commonly made of wood and are intended to cover the decorative way the areas where the wall and floor meet.
Bullnose Corner: If you’re wondering if this article is for you, you should determine if you have bullnose corners in your house. A bullnose corner is a rounded outside corner (the “point” where the two walls meet directly outward).
Like conventional outside corners, bullnose corners usually have 90-degree angles, so I’ll be using these angle degrees for the rest of this article.
Required Accessories for Installing Baseboards Around Bullnose Corners
- Tape measure
- Pencil (a carpenter’s pencil is best, but you can use any regular pencil you might have)
- A saw (a miter saw is preferred for cutting the necessary angles, but any saw you’re familiar with will suffice as long as you’re able to cut precise angles)
- Wood baseboards
- Wood glue
- Caulk
- A hammer and nails OR a nail gun
- Wood filler (optional)
How to Install Baseboards if You Have Bullnose Corners
Once you’ve gathered the necessary materials, follow these steps to install baseboards around your rounded corners:
1. Align Your Baseboards for Measurement
You should make sure to measure the length of the wall you’ll need from one end to the edge of the bullnose corner you’ll be installing around.
Since you’ll be trimming your baseboard around the corner, you should also measure that so you can take that measurement into account when cutting your baseboard. In total, you’ll have three final measurements, and you’ll be cutting three pieces of wood.
2. Mark Your Measurements
Using your pencil, mark the wall where you’d like to install your boards and baseboards to know where you’ll need to cut them.
(Tip: Subtract about ⅜ inch or about 9 ½ mm from the length you measured when marking your baseboards for cutting.)
3. Trim Your Baseboards
Set your miter saw to cut the blade at a 22 ½-degree angle (this is different from typical corners where you’d cut two 45-degree angle pieces) and cut your three baseboard pieces (one for each wall length and one to cover the gap between the corners).
Remember, you can always trim excess wood, but you can’t add it back. When in doubt, cut less than you think you need.
4. Check Your Measurements
Once you’ve cut your baseboard pieces, fit them to the corner around which you’d like to install them.
If you’ve cut accurately, there should be no significant gap between the baseboard and the wall when the three pieces fit together.
Any gaps should also be equal on both sides of the corner.
If you notice too much space, repeat steps 1-4 again until you’ve trimmed as necessary.
5. Glue it Together
Once your baseboard pieces are cut to fit perfectly around your bullnose corner, you should glue your pieces together.
I recommend assembling your pieces before starting the installation so that you can make any necessary adjustments more easily.
Use wood glue to attach one wall side of your baseboard to its angle piece, and let it fully cure and dry.
Repeat this process with your other baseboard piece.
6. Fit and Nail
Now that your baseboards are assembled, fit the entire piece against the wall and install it around the corner as well.
Once it’s in place, take your nail gun or hammer and nails and hammer your baseboards to your wall.
There’s no set rule for how many nails you’ll need, but for most baseboards, spacing the nails between 5 and 6 inches (12.7 to 15.25 cm) apart should be sufficient.
7. Fill the Gaps
If you notice any open gaps in the wood where your baseboard pieces fit together, you can use wood filler to make them less noticeable.
You should also use caulk to carefully fill any gaps you have between your baseboard and the wall if your baseboards aren’t flush with it.
Once your baseboards are installed, the challenging part of this project is behind you, and you can leave them as is or paint and finish them to your liking.
Final Thoughts
Bullnose corners are rounded outside corners that can make installing baseboards a bit more laborious than typical corners.
However, installing baseboards around these corners is not much different or much more complicated than installing baseboards on more angular corners.
Just make sure to take accurate measurements and cut three pieces of your baseboard at 22 ½-degree angles so that they fit around your corner without creating a significant gap between your baseboard and your wall.
This straightforward DIY project you can accomplish yourself with some patience and attention to detail.