With the shower, tub and floor tiles all set, grouted and sealed, the bathroom finally started to feel whole — except for one thing: trim and baseboards. Without them, the room still looked like it was mid-renovation. Here’s a pre-grout photo of the floor:
At first I planned to salvage the original trim around the window and doors, including the linen closet. That idea quickly proved unrealistic: many pieces were splintered or damaged, and I had to install new baseboards anyway because the previous layout used a tile border where the baseboard needed to go. So out came the old trim with a crowbar and hammer, leaving openings like this around the window:
After the grout had cured for 24 hours and been sealed twice, reinstalling the trim became a top priority. I borrowed my dad’s miter saw (tools from Dad seem to be a recurring theme), gathered supplies, and prepped for some measuring and cutting — the parts I really enjoy.
I measured each wall, each doorway and the window opening, then headed to Home Depot with samples of the old trim. We wanted a close match to the rest of the house but chose slightly wider profiles for a cleaner, fresher look. Home improvement stores sell long lengths of trim, and Home Depot’s cutting station made it easy to shorten pieces for transport. I spent about 30 minutes cutting the sections I needed, leaving extra length and labeling the backs with notes like “44 inches, back wall under window” or “35 inches, spare.” That made checkout easier and helped avoid unnecessary measuring at the register.
Rather than describe installing every single piece, I’ll walk through the window as an example. I found the roughly cut pieces for each side, marked the inside edge of the cut with a pen, and took them out to the garage where the miter saw was set up. The saw makes angled cuts simple — for trim work you typically use 45-degree cuts — so the pieces will meet neatly in the corners. I used the saw’s laser guide but always lowered the blade with power off to confirm the cut location before turning it on.
Cutting went smoothly, and I followed a conservative approach: cut a little long, then trim more if needed. It’s easier to remove material than to replace it. I brought the pieces inside and fine-tuned them for a snug fit.
For fastening we kept things low-tech to avoid risk to the tile and marble floors. Instead of using a pneumatic nailer, we bought a small 10 oz hammer and a nail set. We drove finishing nails most of the way in with the hammer, leaving about 1/8 inch of the nail head exposed, then used the nail set to sink the head slightly below the surface so caulk could hide it later.
The nail set matched the nail head, allowing me to sink nails flush without marring the trim.
We actually set the nails just a touch below the surface to make caulking easier later on.
The pre-primed trim is white because it’s primed, not finished paint. Some people paint trim before installing it, but we’re used to painting it after installation — it’s more efficient for touch-ups and guarantees a consistent finish once everything is in place.
After installing all the pieces around the window the result was nearly perfect. Handling left a few smudges and some seams weren’t flawlessly flush, but caulk and paint fix those small imperfections.
We used white, paintable door, window and trim caulk to fill seams and nail holes. A brand we like is Dap, which spreads and smooths easily. Here we applied a generous bead at a corner seam of the window:
We smoothed the caulk with a finger, wiped away excess, and the seam looked seamless.
Once the caulk dried, we applied a couple of coats of zero-VOC semi-gloss white paint and the trim transformed the space.
The linen closet and door trim followed the same process. Here’s a before shot while checking lengths:
And the after: caulked, painted and finished.
Installing the baseboard around the floor included the inside of the linen closet, followed by quarter-round shoe molding to complete the look. Quarter-round covered gaps where the tile didn’t meet the wall perfectly. I also used the miter saw to make bevel cuts, which are 45-degree cuts made by tilting the blade so baseboard pieces meet neatly in corners.
Because I was working so close to the new floor, I took precautions: a towel under the hammer zone and the small 10 oz hammer for better control. Here’s a look at the work zone:
The long wall shows a gap where the vanity will go. We didn’t install baseboard there because the vanity needs to sit flush against the wall; we placed the vanity earlier to confirm positioning and plumbing, then measured and installed baseboard accordingly.
We glued the quarter-round with construction adhesive and used a few nails sparingly — I didn’t want to hammer right up against the marble. The adhesive held everything securely without risking damage to the floor.
After a final round of caulk and two coats of paint, the room felt complete. The difference was dramatic — it finally looked like a real bathroom. The whole trim and baseboard installation took about five hours. Next up: installing the toilet and building the vanity. The finish line felt close, and after all that work it tasted a little like silicone caulk.
How about you — any bathroom projects this week? Installing trim or baseboards? Share your progress and tips.