Baseboard Trim Calculator

Determine linear footage of baseboard, door opening deductions, stock piece counts, and cutting waste allowances.

Room Length (Feet)

Room Width (Feet)

Doorway Openings

doors

Deducts ~3 ft per door

Stock Stick Length

Corner Complexity & Miter Waste

Total Molding to Purchase

68.2 Lin Ft

5 Sticks (16-Foot Lengths)

Net Room Perimeter 62.0 Ft Excludes door gaps

Corner Joints 4 Inside Corners Coped or 45° mitered

Why 16-Foot Sticks Are Preferred: Using 16-foot molding sticks allows single uncut runs across walls up to 16 feet without scarf joints. When joining pieces along long walls, use a 45-degree scarf joint over a wall stud rather than a square butt joint.

How Baseboard Linear Footage Is Calculated

Baseboard perimeter is calculated by measuring all room walls and subtracting door casing openings:

Perimeter = 2 × (Length + Width)
Net Linear Feet = Perimeter - (Doors × 3 ft)
Purchased Linear Feet = Net Linear Feet × Waste Factor
Stock Sticks = Purchased Linear Feet / Stick Length

Frequently Asked Questions

Should inside corners be mitered or coped?

Professional finish carpenters always cope inside corners using a coping saw. Drywall corners are rarely square (often 88° to 92°); coped joints remain tight even as studs expand and contract seasonally.

How is baseboard attached to drywall?

Nail through the baseboard into wall framing studs with 2-inch 16-gauge or 18-gauge finish nails. Do not nail only into hollow drywall.

What is shoe molding (base shoe)?

A flexible 1/2" by 3/4" quarter-round molding installed against the baseboard to conceal gaps caused by uneven subfloors.