How to Insulate a Baseboard

Step 1

Remove the baseboards one at a time. Run a utility knife along the top of the trim to help separate it from the drywall. Work a putty knife behind the trim at the center. Hook a pry bar behind the board and gently free up the closest nail. Continue along the board, nail, by nail, until you can pull the entire board away from the wall. Repeat until all the baseboards have been removed.

Step 2

Pull old nails out the back of the baseboards with nippers and set the boards aside.

Step 3

Apply a length of painter's masking tape about 4 to 6 inches wide to the floor and the wall where you will spray insulation.

Step 4

Shake a can of spray foam insulation thoroughly and push on the rubber application tube that came with the can. Wear rubber gloves.

Step 5

Hold the can upright and insert the nozzle of the tube into the gap and begin spraying. Move along the wall as you spray, filling the gap no more than half full. The foam will expand as it dries, filling the gap completely and bulging out a bit. Let the foam dry completely.

Step 6

Cut the foam flush to the wall, using a utility knife. Re-attach the baseboards.

References

• Ask the Builder: Foam Insulation
• Family Handyman: How to Remove Wood Trim

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Tips

When you nail baseboards to the wall, be sure the nails sink into wood, and not just the drywall. If you want the nail to disappear, use a nail punch to sink the nail head and apply wood putty over the hole.

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Warnings

Spray foam insulation is extremely sticky when wet and next to impossible to remove when dry. Wear old, discardable clothes and rubber gloves. Keep a rag handy and wipe drips immediately with acetone or lacquer thinner. Wrap the rag around the nozzle when you are not spraying because it will drip, even if you think it won't.

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Photo Credits

home sweet home image by David Dorner from Fotolia.com

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