Choosing Pine Baseboard

Pine baseboard is popular because pine is not a very expensive hardwood and it can also have a pleasant appearance. More than that, pine can be made to match almost any decor that you may have or come into contact with. Often people don't even realize that the wood piece they really like is a pine piece of furniture that was stained or painted to match a certain decor. This is the same situation when you have a baseboard made of pine.

When you are choosing your pine baseboard you need to decide right away whether or not you want baseboards that have knots in them. If you think that you might paint your baseboards then you probably should look at choosing pine that doesn't have as many knots it in it. If you by some pine pieces that have more than their fair share of knots the paint job may end up uneven and show the knots despite your best attempts to cover them with the paint.

If you do want to choose some pine boards that have more knots in them, then these are usually used best when you plan to stain the wood. The stain may be more a clear sealant too. Regardless though of the color of stain or sealant, you'll want to coat the boards in something if you aren't painting them. If you are staining them a color other than clear or light pine and want more of any oak stain then the knots may not be the best because the knots are pretty indicative of pine.

If you decide to paint your baseboards then you need to consider doing it after they are installed. The reason for this is the nail holes. Baseboards are installed most often using small finishing nails. Although these nails are quite small they still are noticeable if the boards have been painted prior to installation. You will however, want to prime the boards before installation.

Priming the boards will help the final coat of paint to stay on the board after it's installed and then painted. If you don't prime the board first then you are likely to end up with a board that has peeling paint in the very near future. While you could repaint to cover this up, you will still be likely to end up with the same issue because of the lack of primer.

If you work with a good finishing contractor you should be able to easily get all this accomplished. Your finishing contractor will know the necessary steps and should include priming and painting the boards as part of their bid. You don't have to have your finishing contractor do the painting or staining, but you might as well.

Internet Marketing Expert Vince Samios writes about MDF Skirting Boards