Most people have yet to give much thought to the baseboard moulding in their homes. However, choosing suitable baseboard materials will have more impact than you think. 

Whether installing new flooring or looking for ways to give your home a tailored look, we explain how choosing the most suitable baseboard moulding materials for your home impacts cost, look, and installation.

What are Baseboards?

Before we start, let’s look at the purpose of the humble baseboard. Baseboards are the finishing trim used on your floors/walls. They span the perimeter of each room, offering both a decorative and functional purpose. 

From an aesthetic point of view, not having baseboards is like not having eyebrows. It looks like something is missing. From a functional standpoint, baseboards help secure the floors, especially floating floors like laminate. 

However, they also help reduce wear and tear on your walls from kicks, scuff marks, vacuum dents, etc.  

What Baseboard Moulding Materials Are Available?

Baseboards come in a variety of materials, including:

Wood

Best For: High-end looks where staining is a must.

Wood baseboards are available in different species, allowing you to match your wood floors or create a customized look based on the style of your home. Homeowners can stain them to match the woodwork in their home, such as stair railings, wall panelling, doors, etc.

Pros:

  • Durable
  • Natural look ideal for staining
  • Can also be painted
  • Lightweight, so easier to handle than heavier MDF

Cons:

  • More expensive than MDF
  • More prone to splitting when nailed
  • Staining can be a pain
  • It can warp, making it harder to install

Finger-Jointed/Primed Pine

Best For: Budget-conscious homeowners and painted baseboards. 

Finger-jointed wood baseboards are usually made of pine, although they can come in varied wood species. Smaller pieces of wood are out to good use, pieced together via finger joints to create a solid piece of moulding. As a result, it is a budget-friendly moulding. 

Pros:

  • Comes primed
  • More affordable than MDF and wood
  • Water-resistant with the right paint finish

Cons:

  • It can’t be stained
  • Can warp 
  • Can split when nailed 
  • Inconsistent texture can make it harder to get a clean cut
  • It can be troublesome when mitering corners

Medium Density Fiberboard, AKA MDF

Best For: Large installation projects, dry areas, painted designs, and DIY installations. 

MDF is a good middle-of-the-road option, providing a smooth finish ideal for painted baseboards. It is made of wood pulp, making it sturdier. It also comes primed and is available in the same styles and sizes as wood. 

Pros:

  • It tends to be more affordable 
  • Does not split during installation
  • It can sometimes be flexible for limited curves 
  • Comes primed

Cons:

  • Vulnerable to water and moisture damage
  • Requires a paint finish
  • It can’t be stained
  • It can be less durable than other options, making it less effective in higher-traffic areas
  • Heavier than other baseboard materials

PVC

Best For: Areas with moisture issues.

Various plastic products are also used for baseboard moulding in areas where moisture is an issue, such as kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. 

Pros:

  • Completely water resistant
  • Can be more flexible to adapt to curves

Cons:

  • Some PVC mouldings are not great for painting
  • Expensive compared to MDF and primed pine  

Polymer Resin

Best For: Curved walls and awkward spaces.

If you need a highly flexible option for curved walls, polymer resin and other similar materials are also available. 

Pros:

  • It can mould to any size curve

Cons:

  • It can be less durable than other options
  • Expensive as a specialty material

How to Choose the Best Baseboard Moulding Material for the Job

There are a few things that impact your baseboard moulding choices, including:

Budget

Budget always comes into play when choosing materials for your home. For example, the best choice of baseboard moulding is solid wood, and its price reflects its quality. 

You then have different wood species that also impact the cost. MDF and finger-jointed pine are more affordable options. 

At the same time, specialty materials like PVC and polymer resin can be more expensive.  

Aesthetics

You also have to consider the look you want. For example, many homeowners love the look of painted baseboards against their hardwood floors as an accent. In contrast, others want their baseboards to have a seamless look with stained wood baseboards. 

Painted moulding options like MDF and pine offer more design freedom, allowing you to create a more bespoke look with custom colours.

Durability

It is not uncommon to choose a more durable baseboard moulding for higher traffic areas such as foyers/entries, main hallways, stairs, and kitchens, and a less durable option where aesthetics are more important such as living rooms and dining rooms. This option can offer more flexibility when your budget is limited. 

You can invest in the more attractive baseboard moulding for the “showcase” rooms in your home, like the dining and living rooms, and save a little on the more functional areas of the house, like main hallways and foyers. 

The key is to consider flow. You always want to avoid having two different baseboards in the same line of sight. You must also consider moisture and opt for baseboard moulding that you can treat or install without worrying about water damage. 

Installation

Installation is essential whether installing your baseboards or leaving them up to the experts. Installation impacts the cost of professional installation as you are charged based on labour. 

DIYers also prefer materials that are easier to install. There are two installation considerations: 

Finish

Do your baseboards need to be stained or primed/painted? Both finishes are very time-consuming. So, if you’re painting your baseboards, it always makes sense to buy a primed material.

It would be best to consider the extra work involved for stains, as getting a nice, even look to your stain can be more challenging. You might also have to sand the moulding before applying the stain. 

Nailing

Some materials are more nail-friendly than others. For example, MDF and plastic won’t split when nailed, whereas heavily grained woods might. 

Although baseboard moulding is not an essential element of your home decor, it does impact the final look and budget for flooring and moulding installation projects. 
For more information on baseboard mouldings, click here, or visit Cosmaroma‘s Peterborough showroom to speak to our baseboard moulding experts.