How to Glue a Wood Baseboard to Fiberglass Tubs
Baseboard in a bathroom typically stops at the bathtub, but it does not have to be done this way. Baseboard can continue across the base of the bathtub by using an adhesive that will adhere to wood and fiberglass. There are specific construction adhesives designed to perform this particular job. Using the wrong adhesive will cause baseboard installation to fail. You can purchase an adhesive that works on wood and fiberglass at your local home remodeling center.
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Make an 1/8-inch angled cut on the pointed applicator end of the construction adhesive. Use the metal seal breaker on the side of the caulking gun to break the aluminum seal inside of the construction adhesive tube. The metal seal breaker is a 6-inch-long thin metal rod that twists out away from the caulking gun body. If you do not have a seal breaker, you can use a long thin nail.
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Insert the tube of construction adhesive into the caulking gun. Apply three lines of construction adhesive to the back of the baseboard from end to end. The first line should be 1/8 inch from the top of the baseboard, the second line of adhesive should be directly in the center of the baseboard and the last line of adhesive should be 1/8 inch from the bottom of the baseboard.
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Press the baseboard into position at the base of the bathtub. The thin edge of the baseboard must be facing up and the wide end of the baseboard must be as close to the floor as possible.
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Moisten a rag with paint thinner and wipe construction adhesive off of the floor and the bathtub. This step is only necessary if you accidentally ooze adhesive on the floor, or adhesive oozes out onto the bathtub when you press the baseboard in place.
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Allow the baseboard to completely adhere to the bathtub. When the baseboard is dry, apply caulking across the top of the baseboard to provide a seamless professional appearance.
References
Tips
- Lay a drop cloth down before you apply adhesive to the baseboard if you have carpeted flooring in your bathroom.
Writer Bio
Based in Oklahoma City, Debbie Tolle has been working in the home-improvement industry since 2001 and writing since 1998. Tolle holds a Master of Science in psychology from Eastern Illinois University and is also a Cisco-certified network associate (CCNA) and a Microsoft-certified systems engineer (MCSE).
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