How to install baseboards around sliding closet doors

Despite their low position on the floor, baseboards are one of the defining features without which your home looks unfurnished. It fills the gap between the wall and the floor, giving your home a completely finished look. The baseboard installation process is not that hard, but measuring the angles and cutting them can be a little bit tricky. You need to be more careful when you install baseboards around the sliding closet door. While installing the baseboard on the wall, when you reach the sliding closet doors, make sure that the door trim and baseboard join each other in a finishing way.

Installing a baseboard is a carpentry skill, but you can do it yourself by following our DIY guide on ‘how to install a baseboard around sliding doors’. 

Come, let’s begin!

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES REQUIRED FOR INSTALLING BASEBOARDS

Before you go ahead and buy your tools and supplies for the baseboard installation, take an accurate measurement first. This will save you time and money in the future. 

• Measure the perimeter of the sliding door with a tape measure, rounding up from the bottom left to the bottom right of the sliding door. 
• Buy one or two extra baseboards in case of a cutting mistake.

Baseboards are made up of three elements: cap molding, baseboards, and shoe molding. However, you may not need all three of these components for your project. 

• Cap molding fits on top of baseboards
• Baseboards are predominantly flat and come in a range of 3½- to 6-inches high
• Shoe molding fits on the bottom of the baseboards

Cap molding and shoe molding give an ornamental touch to your baseboard and are optional. Both of this two help complete the look. 

Apart from these components of the baseboard, you will need a few more tools for the installation process.

• A miter saw is the handiest tool that can cut trim quickly and accurately. It can quickly cut the corners of baseboard molding. 
• An eclectic brad nailer is another tool that helps speed up the process.
• Pry bar
• Wood filler to fill the brad nail holes so that they can be painted to give a complete look
• Sandpaper
• Dust mask
• Paintbrush
• Gloves
• Utility knife

Be ready with all these tools before you begin the baseboard installation process. If buying a miter saw and an electric brad nailer is out of your budget, you can rent them.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING BASEBOARD AROUND A SLIDING CLOSET DOOR (DIY)

Installing the baseboard around the sliding door looks like an easy process. What you need to do is just measure and cut the board, and nail it in place. Well, it’s not that easy at all. If you have ever tried to install a baseboard yourself, you might have seen the gaps or ill-fitting joints because of bumpy walls and floors, or corners that aren’t square.

So, to give your baseboard installation a professional and finishing look, go through our step-by-step guide for installing baseboards around sliding closed doors.

1. REMOVE OLD BASEBOARD:

If your home or room is newly constructed or if you have installed a new sliding door, skip this step. But if you have baseboards already installed around your sliding closed door, you need to remove them first to install the new baseboard. To do so;

• Score along the top edge of the trim and cut through the chalk with a utility knife
• Pull away the old baseboard with a pry bar
• Remove those nails left in the drywall
• Scrap and remove any remaining glue or caulk on the wall

2. PREPARING THE BASEBOARD

• Measure and cut the baseboard for each side of the sliding door. The baseboard that meets the outside corner should be cut longer than the closet door trim to allow for miter cutting
• Paint the baseboards and leave them to dry

a. Corner cuts

Corner cutting is a multi-step process. Some baseboards are needed to cut squares, and others are cut at 45-degree angles. When you cut the inside and outside corners at 45 degrees, they will form a 90-degree angle when joined.

• Baseboards that run on the wall opposite the door need to have square-cut joints at either end
• Coped joints fit on either one side of the door or the other, and square cuts are needed on the bottom of the door.

3. NAIL THE BASEBOARD TO THE WALL AROUND THE SLIDING CLOSET DOOR

Once you have cut and coped each piece, attach the baseboard using a brad nailer. Do not glue it to the drywall. If you do so, you could damage your drywall if you need to remove it in the future to install a new baseboard.

• Before attaching the baseboard around the sliding closet door, locate the studs in the wall with a stud finder. 
• Install the baseboard around the closet door with a brad nailer by rounding up from one bottom corner of the closet door to another. Also, add a brad nail on the bottom of the baseboard.

4. FINISHING

After installing the baseboard around the sliding closet door, you might notice some imperfections due to the nail holes or the baseboard gaps. All these are the defacements that spoil the appearance of the baseboard. You need to give it the finishing touch to make it look perfect. 

• Brad nails leave nail holes in baseboards. These holes ruin the look of the baseboard. If you use wood filler to fill those holes, it will improve the overall look of the baseboard. Fill the nail holes with a pea-sized amount of food filler and send it once it dries. 
• You might see some gaps due to seams where the inside and outside corners of the baseboard meet together. You need to caulk those seams. Do not just use any caulk; make sure the caulk is flexible, crack-proof, and paintable.
• After filling in the nail holes and gaps, paint the baseboards to finish them off. 

Installing a baseboard around a sliding closet door on your own is simple and a great idea for saving money. However, take safety precautions while using power tools such as a miter saw or a finishing nailer. Don’t forget to wear safety glasses and earplugs. Before using power tools, read the instruction manual thoroughly to ensure that you have taken all the safety precautions while using each of these tools. 

We hope this guide will help you learn a successful baseboard installation process. Do follow each step outlined above to get the best possible result.