Should there be a gap between the baseboard and floor before installing carpet?

Although we are not painters, we are experts in flooring in a flooring store in Concord (Vaughan) ONT, we would recommend that you paint the walls first and then the baseboards (not sure what you mean by "trim", unless you mean the casings, in which case those as well) BUT have paint leftover of each for possible touchups that may be necessary as inadvertently the back of the new carpet can scratch the newly painted surfaces (hard to move around large pcs of carpet without touching the surrounding surfaces) and then have the carpet installed. NO additional "trim" in front of the baseboards!! The baseboards should be installed approx. 3/8" (9.4mms :) for all you Canadians living in a metric country) for an average plush carpet. 1/4" (6.5mms) is enough for the average Berber type loop carpet and up to 1/2" (12.7mms) for thicker/longer pile plush carpets. Hope this helps! Pls "Like" if you found this helpful.

Do the drywall, paint the walls, paint and he baseboard before you install, this will save cutting in with the paint. Have your carpet installed before inst

Yes, you should leave a 1/2-inch space under the baseboards because it allows the carpet installer to neatly stretch and tuck the raw edges under the wood trim for a clean look. Raising the trim also prevents the thick foam underpad and pile carpet from burying the bottom of your baseboard, which would make the trim look awkwardly short. To get a perfectly even gap, rest your baseboards on scrap pieces of 1/2-inch drywall while nailing them to the wall, then slide the scraps out before the carpet pro arrives.

Hi, good question. We do run into this quite often. Personally, I prefer carpet to be installed before the baseboards when possible. Reason is simple. During carpet installation the tackstrip, which is the thin wood strip with pins, may need to be installed or re-secured close to the wall. That means hammering very close to the baseboards and scuffs or chips can happen. Also when the carpet is being stretched, the backing can rub against painted baseboards almost like sand paper. If the baseboards are already installed, then yes, a small gap is needed. In most cases 3/8" to 5/8" works, but it depends on the carpet and underpad thickness. The baseboard should just touch the top of the carpet fibre, not press the carpet down. If the baseboard is too tight and compressing the carpet, it can make future stretching or removal harder, and in some cases may help create buckling or wrinkles later. Many homes we work on in the Greater Toronto Area already have baseboards installed, so it is not a deal breaker. It just has to be done carefully and the right carpet and underpad combination should be selected. Hope this helps, good luck with the project. CFI-Certified Flooring Contractor and Instructor Certified RI Carpet & RI Resilient Flooring Instructor Member of CFCRA

Leave a3/8 to 1/2 inch