How to Make Molding | DIY Trim Baseboard Headers and Blocks

[@SVThailand]

OMG I'm so glad I found this video. I'm rehabbing my rental more of a facelift refinishing the floors and replacing all the roundover molding and window trim with rectangular trim like you have there. You know hard edge on the windows and 45 on the base. And I was going to use all poplar. I even went to a lumber yard and was going to special order. It was about to pull the trigger and it was going to be like 2100 bucks and then I went and priced out what the MDF cost at Lowe's and I don't have a table saw and I don't even have a straight edge that I would use. I just paid them the extra money to cut it for me. I just had them cut 4-in baseboards and 3-in trim boards and 5-in 3/4-in headers. Amazing video. I just got back from the store and I remember when I was taking a break. I watched your video again mine's a little bit different than yours cuz I have a smaller house but I can't believe I was about to spend so much on hardwood and MDF and primer for everything. It was less than 350 bucks. I mean it took me like 3 days. You know of cutting and sanding and priming and then I even took the time to prepaint them because I'm using flat paint and it was easy to touch up after I filled all my nail holes. Now I'm hoping my little rental will be a little bit more modern looking. Oh by the way, if anybody's wondering I stain the wood floors which are original to the 1968 house. I stained them black with a satin clear and painted the walls, swiss coffee and the trim pure white and I painted the red brick exterior Swiss coffee

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Awesome!! So glad that this helped and I am excited to hear about your rental. Keep me updated on how they fair, especially with renters and how your touch ups go. I’m super impressed!

[@AfterBurner369]

Sounds great. 👍👍

[@cubstober4901]

Good video but one huge mistake. On MDF use sanding sealer before priming and painting. Thats why your MDF absorbed so much primer. Using sanding sealer first, you can use a paint and primer combo and get a much glossier finish if that's what you like.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried sanding sealer before on MDF so that is a great idea. That should seal it up better than a coat of paint, and probably dry faster too.

[@lmcsquaredgreendale3223]

Thank you from me as well. I haven't used MDF except for melamine coated to replace damaged cabinet doors in my apartments or to add more cabinets.

[@tonyc7352]

Which MDF sealer did you use?

[@dylan-nguyen]

@@tonyc7352 mix 50/50 wood glue and water. Use water based like titebond 1 glue, don’t use gorilla glue cuz it’s not water based and foams up.

[@tonyc7352]

@@dylan-nguyen Thank you for replying.

[@kamedinburgh]

Dauym! Johnny Knoxville doing mouldings... This will be an absolute banger!

[@woodworks2123]

Most of my customers in my are want an ogee moulded skirting and during covid we couldn't get it so made our own simply on the router table but I am never happy with the "end grain" as no matter how much you sand or buy better primers I still think you can see it so last time we tried something different, we gave it a sand so it was smooth, cleaned it off the wrapped them in thick brown smooth craft paper. Glued it with a watered down PVA. The results were unbelievable. A perfect smooth finish, no roughness or visible "end grain" I haven't bought any ready made ones since. It's drastically reduced my costs on jobs.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

That’s a really cool idea. I have never heard of coating it with paper before. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip!

[@woodworks2123]

@@BuildItMakeIt it's the same kind of paper that is used to wrap parcels, make sure it's the smooth stuff with a slight sheen on it and not the rippled stuff. Honestly works a treat. I've seen some ready made ones that I thought had a vinyl wrap but after seeing it's definitely painted I'm convinced its the same or very similar to what we used.

[@mdear2010]

I was looking at the cost to replace all my baseboards and I was shocked at the cost. Thank you very much for this idea.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Glad it was helpful. I finally finished my whole downstairs and running the numbers I saved over 2500 dollars. Kind of crazy how r pensive baseboard and trim has gotten.

[@marcomoon6062]

I've been planning on doing this. Glad to see someone do it first.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Hope it goes well for you. I’m super happy with mine. Good luck 👍

[@MAGAMAN]

If you are using mdf, you need to prime all edges because if you ever have a spill that goes under the baseboard or runs down the wall, it will swell up like a balloon.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah the swelling of the MDF can be a huge problem if it gets under and then soaks in. Thanks!

[@spinderella3602]

Super helpful. I like your MDF idea. I think it will save me some money.

[@jamespeterson686]

Great idea! It’s a lot of work but I, personally have more time than money.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah. Sadly with prices that seem to forever go up my amount of money and time seem to be low :) Good luck and I would love to see a picture of how they turn out when you are done.

[@DanStratocaster1]

Excellent! I have a small two bedroom one bathroom townhouse. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do something different, but not spend a fortune. Wider moldings make a place looks so much more classy. Thank you very much.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your comment.

[@kennethamend8557]

This is BRILLIANT!! Definitely worth the effort!! I just purchased my first home and I'm removing the baseboards and installing new floors. So, I'll definitely need new baseboards.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Glad you liked it. We did our whole last house and working through half our new house. It saves so much much money.

[@cassieredd1232]

Can't wait to see it in person!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah we need to have you guys over again!

[@JosefwitdaCoatOn]

Dude! Lifesaver…

[@JustASimpleCreb]

Oh wow! I never would have guessed you made these! I saw them today I thought it was amazing!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! I'm slow but steady, lets see if I can finish all the molding work before you guys are done with school :)

[@JustASimpleCreb]

@@BuildItMakeIt I bet you can!

[@bruceelniski]

Thank you from lethbridge alberta canada. I need to do full baseboards, door and window trim in our basement. I am leary of mdf because it swells when wet, always an issue in below grade work. But I am on a tight budget and wondering what I could do with some sort of real wood stock. I would also like to come up with some way to attach baseboards so they could be easily removed the next time we paint. Yourvideo was great. I would use a pusher stick to make sure those fingers are always at least a foot away from the blade.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! Yeah solid wood is certainly more durable and I have made solid wood baseboards the same way. When I was doing this I also used solid wood for the windows since they get a lot of moisture. If you come up with a good solution to attaching them to the wall so they are also removable I would love to hear it. Thanks!

[@drumak77]

Genius! You've saved me a bundle.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Glad to help. Post a picture when your done, I would love to see it.

[@sancho1966]

Very nice work. What kind and size of fasteners did you use, brad or finish nail?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thank you. I used 18 Ga brad nails.

[@armandoherrera6687]

MDF is a great idea definitely more affordable per sqft those already fabricated trims are crazy expensive Might take a little patience but worth it

[@csimet]

I'm doing the same... making my own, but will be using poplar for my baseboards & door frames and either clear pine or MDF for the rest (crown, bookshelf buildouts, etc.). I think poplar will hold up much better in areas that *may* get knocked or kicked, with less chance of scratching or denting. Either way, I'll save a ton as you point out. Like you, I'm doing simple square trim with a 45 degree chamfer to match my new kitchen shaker doors and carrying it into my family room remodel so it all ties together nicely. I'm still debating the need and style of "shoe" molding I may or may not put in.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah, popular will hold up a lot better. Plus it still should end up quite a bit cheaper. Id love to see how it turns out.

[@mauriciogonzalez6302]

I looked for this video years ago…. Didn’t exist…. Thank you.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I am glad you enjoyed it!

[@daratravers2041]

Hi, great help for diyers' do you have to use an oil based paint for the primer? I have read that you shouldn't use a water base paint on MDF. What is your experience been with either type of paint? Thanks much.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! For me I use water based primer and then do a light sanding on the MDF. I have done this for years now and haven't noticed a problem. Do do need to do the sanding because MDF absorbs moisture differently between the edge and face. This is true for both oil and water based finishes, so I would assume it is would be the same for an oil based primer/paint, but I haven't actually used an oil based paint on MDF, only oil based finish. Hope that helps.

[@stevejenqpnelson9770]

Great video and very well produced! Thanks for this, I’m going to try upgrading our moulding soon.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! I’m actually doing up some more right now so over thanksgiving we can do our living room.

[@CrPio167]

How do you prevent damage to the drywall when ripping out the old stuff?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

That is a place I am not very good at. You can try to carefully use a blade to cut away the caulk from the wall, but I almost always have some issues. That is why I make/buy new molding at lease a 1/2 wider than what I am removing. Personally I like the look of a nice 5" baseboard but if you need it to be the same, sorry I don't really have a foolproof way other than be really careful, and you will probably still have to do a bit of patching.

[@chicanoblanco745]

Thanks for the knowledge. Quick question, why the copen cut on inside •45 cuts on baseboard? What would happen if you just •45 it? Thanks .

[@BuildItMakeIt]

It is a bit of laziness and I think it looks better from getting a tight fitting joint. Most walls are not actually 90. I used to used an angle finder to do perfect cuts, but now I only do that with wood. If I am painting then I will caulk/fill the gap and I think it ends up looking nice and tight.

[@damionarchibald3734]

Thanks for the tips. Saved me some coin!!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I’m glad, did you already make them? If so how did they turn out?

[@damionarchibald3734]

I did the ripping (3/4 MDF cut @ 5 1/2 in) and priming. Made the cuts yesterday, installing today. They turned out better than expected.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

@@damionarchibald3734 Awesome.I’m glad they turned out!

[@leticiaruvalcaba-arballo3181]

Looks beautiful!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@hacktay21]

whats the brand of flooring it loooks great!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks. It is from lumber liquidators. It is their luxury vinyl plank. We really like it and it is quiet and soft on the feet, at least compared to tile :)

[@hacktay21]

@@BuildItMakeIt what's the finish color?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

It is the Core Lux brand, Acacia.

[@frankj5947]

Great video! Keep at it you will have 100k subs in time.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Hey thanks! That would be awesome to get to 100k!! Glad you liked the video.

[@herroyalhighness5634]

How did you hold up the mdf sheet when you were cutting it with the circular saw?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I cut it on top of a 1.5" thick foam insulation board that is 4' by 8'. This works great for fully supporting the piece while cutting.

[@herroyalhighness5634]

@@BuildItMakeIt thanks!

[@21gonza21]

I’m installing vinyl planks should I install baseboard first?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

If it was me I like to do the planks first then install the baseboard. I just think it is a nicer look, but that is just my opinion.

[@21gonza21]

@@BuildItMakeIt would you still put a shoe molding ?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I haven’t done shoe molding in my current house or my last one and haven’t had any issue with the edge of the flooring showing. Personally I don’t really like the look of shoe molding or quarter round.

[@skupire6547]

love it, saved me 300$+ thanks a bunch

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I’m so glad. It’s a lot of work but I think it’s worth it. I’d love to see it. I’m @builditmakeit on instagram if your on there.

[@safetime100]

Very good idea thanks

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Most welcome 😊

[@imafool69]

i sincerely regret to not have thought to do my molding myself when i renovated my house. I ended up buying the cheapest molding to lower cost and those look really old fashion. I may redo the door trim at some point since my miter corner opened up. Nice to know its as easy I thought it would be (after the fact unfortunately)

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I like the idea of doing the door trim. I bought a ton of cheap molding the first time I did some renovation and I was soooo bummed with it. That is what made me get onto making my molding myself in the first place. You'll, have to let me know how it goes if you end up doing the door casing.

[@hyrumkress6202]

I love the baseboards in my house

[@eksine]

In my imagination I would stagger moulding with multiple different profiles and stack them on top of each other to create an effect where it looks like the wood is very thick with a lot of details, maybe even stack them all around an archway. I also envision moulding made of stamped copper and bronze and nickel with intricate shapes and details...but than I realize I'm still making a spray booth out of metal and it's taking forever so that'll have to wait. I'll probably take pictures if you want to see it. I came up with the idea of using EMT conduit from the hardware store after seeing the prices, it's so cheap. The corner tube brackets I'm cutting and welding are taking a long time though. It could take a while.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I like your idea on making the molding. I did that is our last house for some crown molding that made it look way thicker. I would love to see your metal spray booth. That is a good idea to use the EMT conduit. I would love to see it when you get done. My Instagram is @builditmakeit . What tubes are you using for the welding?

[@eksine]

@@BuildItMakeIt the conduit is 1/2" nominal (i measured 0.6165 ID and 0.7125 OD) so I found this seller called Online Metal Supply, they were selling 3 tubes for $63 and the specs are "0.875" OD, 0.065" Wall, (0.745" ID) x 72 inches (3 Pack), ERW Steel Round Tube". another idea is using tubing that fit inside instead of outside the conduit, that way I can lay it flat on the floor and the brackets look hidden

[@sethwittrup9688]

Man what i could do if i had my own wood shop..

[@bilskro]

For the door trim. You used 1/2" MDF 3.5" wide for the sides, but for the top did you use 3/4"MDF 5" wide? Also looks like you ran the top door trim past the side trim. How much overhang did you use? Also did you 45-degree Chamfer all ends such as the door trim side top where it hits the top header 3/4" MDF trim.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yea that is correct on the sizes for the surround trim. I did 1/2 inch overhang on each side, I like the look of overhang and it helps for seasonal movement too. I didn’t chamfer the ends. Where they but up. I have seen it done before, but with the thicker up top I think butting up looks fine.

[@k1ngre]

Great video, well produced, straight to the point. Exactly what I’ve been looking for. Earned yourself a new subscriber! Now, would you mind making a video on how to create corner blocks (as in crown moulding not having to saw ceiling moulding in an angle). Cheers from Sweden!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! That’s a really good idea on the crown molding blocks. I did that in my last house to simplify installation.

[@K.B.designco.]

Great video! Thanks for the information. Hope to do something like this on the apartment I'm working on!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Awesome I’d love to see how they turn out!

[@Gw2Zoke]

Where did you source your boards? I can’t find a sheet of mdf for less than 50 dollars and it makes it where I might come out even after paint and primer…

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah, everything is more expensive now. 1/2 MDF at the Home Depot by me is 45 dollars right now, but the baseboard I was replicating has risen to 19.98 so it still has about the same cost saving for me. A lot depends on what molding you are making, but if you aren’t saving much it probably isn’t worth it to make it.

[@TSBOFRLM]

Superb!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks!

[@isarmawinter1816]

Use sheetrock primer, its super thick and fantastic coverage! Gratitude for the ve

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! Sheetrock primer is a lot cheaper than the sandable primer.

[@ayyyoperator]

Hi there! What gauge nail did you use?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I used the standard 18 gauge and then filled the holes afterwards. Mdf puckers a bit so you have to sand it a touch unless you use a pin nailer but I don’t think the pins hold well enough.

[@ayyyoperator]

@@BuildItMakeIt Okay thank you! I've seen people say 16, but also 18 because of MDF puckering with bigger nails. Just makes me a little nervous because there is a lot of conflicting choices. haha.

[@britttullos8119]

I prefer BIN primer for practically everything.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah that stuff is amazing.

[@stevesmith7771]

What size (width, height, thickness) did you create the plinth blocks for transition from door casing to floorboards? Thanks for your help.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Mine at 5.5” by 3.75 inches. That looked good to my eye, halve an inch taller and wider than the baseboard and trim I made.

[@lancedyer4870]

I hate buying moulding -- should have done it this way!

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah I bought a bunch like 10 years ago while remodeling, and a bunch were bashed up. That sort of soured me.

[@CBBC435]

The other issue is that MDF dulls blades and bits FAST. Penny smart and pound foolish, imho. Better economy can be had by selecting framing lumber to shape with a table saw and router imho.

[@AmatriceBand]

Yes. If you have those table saws. But if you need to buy those saws, table , need the space primer, ….. it will come to that number. Or even more

[@BuildItMakeIt]

The primer was in the cost estimate and you can make it with just a circular saw like I showed. It’s easier with a table saw but totally unnecessary. That’s why I did just the simple chamfer on the edge.

[@AmatriceBand]

@@BuildItMakeIt thanks man. How straight could you get cutting with circular saw and straight edge ? Were they flush on the floor or a bit wobbly ?

[@BuildItMakeIt]

@@AmatriceBand The circular saw and straight edge are pretty straight, I think just as good as the table saw. The only tricky part is making sure that they are the same width each time. It's not really tricky you just have to be careful. Also if you want to cut a chamfer with the circular saw I find it is way easier to cut the chamfer, then cut the strip, then cut a chamfer and cut a strip from the larger sheet. It takes longer, but that is how I did it before when I needed to use the circular saw and it went fine. Hope that helps.

[@lucibrown512]

Wow you rock

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Why thank you very much.

[@jozefpavlikjpvideodvd]

make sense when the labor to make it is free and you have all expensive tools to do it

[@botrott]

Why wouldn't you paint everything before putting it on and them just fill and paint over the nail holes.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

You can certainly do that but when you use caulk between the wall and the trim you typically want to paint that for a nice crisp line. Also there will be slight differences in the over painted parts from the nail hole. The lower the paint sheen the less it will show. With typical semi gloss and gloss you will be able to tell when the lift hits it right that it was spot painted.

[@ishtlutz1261]

Dude you shoulda done like SOME sort of cool profiles in them. Even if it was something super Simple like lines of rounds going straight across the whole length or 2 square grooves. I did One would really like to see how to properly take (for example - palette wood (maybe ran through a thickness planer so each piece is perfectly the thickness of course) then how to cut unique customized profiles. I see no one on all of KZbin just freestyling as such - getting creative with different router bits to make their own trim or molding. So I’d like to. & id like to see how they might approach it. Would they cut each board with the 1st piece then switch out router bits & run those pieces through & so on? Would they record their bits used or record this in notes to have it down in case they ever needed? I’m jus saying I’m new to all of this. And I’m a girl & I’ll tell ya - learning all this wood stuff is HARD. There’s no wood working classes near me either. I want to make total use of recycled wood & learn all the different cuts

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks! That is a great idea to show different ways of making various router profiles. I was trying to keep it simple especially if someone doesn't have a router, but this is just about the most boring style of trim :)

[@ishtlutz1261]

@@BuildItMakeIt I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound the way I did in my comment. What I meant to say is: HEY. You’ve inspired me to want to learn MORE. And since you explain things so well, I felt comfortable asking you if YOU might be ‘The ONE’ on KZbin to Make the 1 & only “How to make your own Custom Router Profiles on Palette wood you scored for FREE from behind John’s Liquor to make Chair Railing for the walls in your garage because you’re not good enough yet that anyone would dare trust you putting it inside the house Tutotial!” That’s what I meant to say. By the way thank you for the video & thank you for responding. (*I always sort of feel like I just talked to someone famous when a video creator actually responds).

[@RS-qy5hn]

I think you'd be better off using pine. Still cheaper and better then mdf.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I agree pine is a better material, but I haven’t found it to be cheaper. By me a sheet of MDF if currently 47 dollars, which is 6 dollars per 6” 8 foot strip. Pine 1x6 is 12. If you can find pine around that, let me know, because with lumber prices these days I honestly I am asking cause I would love to know if you are able to find pine 1x6 at around the 6 dollar point.

[@wifiwiffy]

See if you can spot my 3 cameo appearances...

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Ooo, ooo, I know!

[@KRZ-786]

what about the cost of the tools that you will need to cut the boards? You may end up spending more rather than saving.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah the tools can be expensive and often the job that you buy the tool for then ends up more or break even, but then you have the tool. In my one example for this job the cost savings would pay for a track saw or even a job site table saw saw. Now if you are doing a more complicated profile you would want a router and bits so at that point you would probably spend more. If you did a whole house you could save enough to build out a decent little shop.

[@peteganze6416]

The idea is an A plus, and the tool used is a D. Ending on a high note, you can lose 9 fingers and still scratch your butt if you like.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks for the grade on the project. Ill have to let my table saw know it wasn't cutting it in this video.

[@gerardolee]

mitter saw can cut 45 degress looks more profesional than straight cuts

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I totally agree, when I install the baseboards I always cut 45 degrees on the edges. I typically leave that until I am about to install it so the 45 edge doesn't get all dinged up.

[@21gonza21]

Cutting mdf is dangerous, you didn’t mention that, I did see you wear a gas mask but nothing was mentioned…

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah I always wear a mask when cutting MDF. Thanks.

[@Airtouch67]

Seems to me if you can afford all these super fancy tools, you can certainly just buy the finished baseboards? Lol. The time and effort you are taking to making all this stuff doesn't really make much sense to me, but the video was educational for someone who owns all these tools, etc. I mean who has a table saw that size? Or all these router bits? Add up the labor time, expenses of the tools, etc., and it would probably cost twice as much than just buying the damn things finished. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time on my hands.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks for the comment. I know it can be daunting seeing a shop full of tools and thinking how you can do the project without those. Luckily the molding is pretty simple and can be done with just a circular saw and a palm router, so under $100 dollars of tools. On the time side, yeah, projects can take a lot. This one is pretty quick in that you can do quite a bit of trim in one day, ended up saving me more money then I make in my day job for the time, but this project is the exception, not the rule for the labor. Take care!

[@JU188]

Good video but you forgot to use any footage of yourself actually making the molding..

[@BuildItMakeIt]

These ones are super simple so it is just the small 45 degree chamber on the top with the table saw. I should have demonstrated with some more intricate designs but that was my project at the time and didn’t fully think it through.

[@CBBC435]

Just don't mop the floors.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Yeah, clean floors are the worst!

[@CBBC435]

@BuildItMakeIt Paint is going to blister as fiberboard swells... been there, done that. Don't mop the floors. Damp mop with a dust mop is the only way, but that hardly gets clean.

[@alhaah777]

Not at all helpful except MDF is cheaper than wood. You didn't show any moding cutting with router.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Sorry it wasn’t helpful for you. I did the edges with a simple 45 degree angle with my router in the video which was pretty quick and easy and the actual routing of it didn’t take up much time in the video.

[@inkstain7193]

Mdf blows.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

...

[@richardfabery9552]

All the time you had cutting i doubt u saved anything

[@norcoauctions]

don't say ex specially It's ES specially

[@svegxl]

So to do it myself I safe money but I have to buy thousands in expensive super specialized machinery. This is what sucks about DIY channels that expect people to have a damn carpentry shop in their house.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

It can be a bummer when you don't have the tools for a project, that is what is nice about this method of making molding you only need a circular saw and a straight edge if you are doing the simple 45 edge profile.

[@barbaramarzec3074]

Cheap and easy to work with ,how ridiculous is that? How about quality? I am European living in US for a long time , and I still don't understand how we do such a crappy job renovating our houses in US.

[@BuildItMakeIt]

I agree often crappy stuff gets used to renovate in the US. My window sills were made of MDF in my house which is ridiculous. I do think MDF is ok when used in the right areas and for the right reasons. When I was in Switzerland I saw Mdf in people’s homes and for sale in at least Jumbo. I don’t know how common it is but it certainly was somewhat used.

[@jayhyde7987]

Didn't really explain anything

[@BuildItMakeIt]

Thanks for the feedback. I am still working on getting better at videos. What would you have liked to see in more details, or what sort of stuff did I miss? Thanks.