Carpet Baseboard Gap

A thick carpet will tuck nicely along the baseboard and so will a thin low profile carpet such as a berber or thin looped carpet.

Carpet baseboard gap.

Carpet installers often tuck the ends of the carpet under the baseboards for a clean finished look. I had them do this in one room as i came home and saw the gaps this seems to work and look fine. In some cases these gaps are wide enough that they allow air infiltration and can seriously impact your energy consumption. When this carpet is removed and replaced with hardwood vinyl or other floor coverings you might spot a gap between the bottom of your baseboards and your new floor.

There are two reasons for this gap which is generally required by building codes. Many 01 10 2007 pull the carpets back a little cram some pad under the baseboard put the carpet back in. My local carpet store asked for 1 4 gap meaning put 1 4 spacers on the floor and then install baseboard. I had them do this in one room as i came home and saw the gaps this seems to work and look fine.

The baseboard at the bottom of a wall should always be installed slightly raised from the floor s surface. I am told by the carpet company they never do this and they are pretty unhappy about my request. A bead of caulk is applied to the area where the baseboard meets the floor. Their reasoning is that thicker carpet can be trimmed if it can t be jammed under but the other way looks ugly with a gap.

The answers to these questions will determine if you can put the baseboard flush or if you need to leave a gap as much as between subfloor and baseboard. I want to go over each question individually and demonstrate how the answers can affect the spacing or lack of spacing used when installing your baseboards. In other cases these gaps are unattractive or they trap debris.