Baseboard On Round Corners

Bummie

I just finished a job using 3½" baseboards. There were lots of round outside corners to go around.I cut small pieces 22½ degrees on each side by 1 1/16" to sit on the corner and cut the adjoining pieces on 22½ degrees also to finish off the corner. I charged the GC $3.00 per corner but after thinking about it and how much time it took I think I short changed myself.

What do you guys charge for baseboards on round corners??

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tcleve4911

shame on you.........

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Teetorbilt

I'm hating this round corner thing big time! Everything just looks funky except the drywall. Room to room paint is also a challenge.

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Bummie

Care to elaborate?? Don't you like my method .... or my price????

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skyhook

The method and the price is outstanding.

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send_it_all

What did you charge per foot on top of $3 per corner?

Tom M

How sharp was the radius? I would have suggested MDF since it bends so easy. Then its a no problem. Or buy 16fters bend them outside and water them keep them wet then you'll have no problem.

thom

???????????????????????? He's talking Bull Nose drywall corners here. You aren't going to bend anything (except maybe your mind) around them.

I've been doing bull nose for years. the 22-1/2 degree corner is the way to go. I cut up a whole bunch of the little pieces and put them in a bucket. Generally 5/8" is the correct length. I cut longer and shorter by small increments and have them in a bucket or cup. Just dump them out at each corner as I go and find one that fits well.

If you're cutting all the corners at once, it takes no time at all. Just cut a bunch of extras and toss the extras when you're done.

When you get the hang of it it doesn't take any longer than square corners. No reason to charge more for it.

Bummie

I charged $1.15 per LF. I would like to add that this house is close to 2,000 square feet and there were only 11 pieces over 10 feet long. There were 51 outside corners.... that is why I charged extra for them.

Man, if you can make 102 cuts at the saw station (51 sets of opposing 22½s) and it takes no time at all, remember this is 3½" baseboards, I want you on my jobs!!

I don't buy that for a minute!! How can you say that when there are two more cuts involved and 1 more piece to install??

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Second Look

Did it come out looking good? I would think that cutting kerfs into the back of the baseboard, then wetting it or steaming it before install would be the way to go. But I could be way off base here, I'm just a handyman.

Edited to include: After looking at the photos, I can see that wouldn't work as it's a very small radius.

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Mike Finley

I like Thom's idea. If I was trimming a whole house I certainly would have somebody get on the saw and make up as many of those ahead of time as there were corners to do. That's a good production method, and it isn't brain surgery to cut 100 of those in 15 minutes or less.

Not sure about keeping a bucket of them around, I guess if you are always installing the exact same trim then why not? But I can't see that in most situations.

I'd also appluad anybody who is able to build value in the mind of anybody cutting the checks and getting more for those corners. Why the hell not if you can get it.

KillerToiletSpider

Was the flexible vinyl base I have seen used in condos in Chicago not an option? They make it in a variety of patterns to match the wood base being used, but I am told it is a little pricey.

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thom

When cutting a bucket of them, don't measure each one. Measure, mark, and cut one. On the second cut, pay attention to the length of the piece relative to it's location on the saw table and cut them all alike.

You're just moving the saw back and forth from one 22-1/2 to the other. Probably takes no more than 5 seconds per piece. 10 pieces per minute, 100 pieces in 10 minutes. Actually, when you get going, it takes less time than that.

I just throw out the extra pieces at the end of each job. The point of cutting so many is to have all you will need in a variety of lengths. They vary in small increments, but having a variety will make installation easier.

The corners get glued on, not nailed. Just use a tube of liquid nails.

Bummie

I don't know what kind of saw you have but with my Makita 10" compound saw (which I love except for this job) I have to tip the blade as the baseboard is too tall to use the mitre settings. This means pull the saw in,,,, loosen knob and set for one direction,,,, tighten knob,,,, cut,,, pull saw in,,, loosen knob and set for other direction,,,, tighten knob,,,, cut. This can not be done in 5 seconds. I have marks on my saw so I don't have to measure every piece and I do cut as many as I need for the job in one go but it still isn't as fast as you would think and every corner is a little different adding to the problem.

All I'm really asking is ... "Do you do all this extra work for FREE???"

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mickeyco

I have seen it done with blocks like the top picture below but I couldn't picture the way you were talking about with the miters. I did a search and couldn't find a base board example but I did find a crown (2 versions) molding example, I think the bottom of the crown is probably what it looks like. I think $3.00 a corner was a good deal for the GC.

woodmagman

And you don't need to nail the piece either just wood glue and presto or a little masking tape just to be safe...

Bummie

Mickeyco... the picture on the bottom left... if you invert it... is pretty close to what the finished baseboard looks like. I will get some pictures when I go back to the house in the middle of the week.

woodmagman... you are correct. No nails are required for this piece. I just glue them in and in most cases the masking tape isn't required.

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Mike Finley

Out here we see bullnosed corners in just about all new construction, including tract homes even, I think it's been this way for at least 15-20 years. I believe it came out here when the big California developers started building here in the 80s and brought that look with them. Like anything that was once new and is now considered the "norm" the ability to charge more for it usually gets destroyed because your competition starts just including it as part of the job and most likely anybody looking to hire for this is going to just move on to one of your competitors who isn't chaging extra for it. That's just the nature of the beast.

Bummie- Are you seriously cutting each individual piece one at a time? What would stop you from cutting one of the angles on all your pieces all at the same time? Maybe using a stop block on the saw, so all you are doing is feeding the stock to the stop and cutting it. Then cutting the other angle all at the same time using another stop block, if you want a small variation in some of the lengths you could just hold them off the stop block a little to shorten them. That would require only 2 flips of the blade for the entire bunch.

I can't imagine you would want to flip that blade back and forth over and over again like you are doing by cutting them one at a time. That would burn me out quick in day for sure.

You're not installing the rest of the trim by measuring and cutting one piece at a time either right? I'm sure you are measuring the entire room and cutting it all at once, maybe you could treat the corners the same way.

Dustball

Probably because the pieces are too short to hold onto when cutting the second angle.

In_Mexifornia

I've been getting customers who want the premade bullnose corners instead of the cutting the 22-1/2" corner piece. If they supply, I'll apply.