Baseboard Installation Cost
Baseboard is priced by the linear foot - material plus labor. Here is how to turn the run from the calculator into a budget, what moves the per-foot price, and where the add-ons (removal, painting, mitred corners) hide.
By the Calculate My Reno Team / Published
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Open the Skirting Board Calculator
Baseboard is quoted by the linear foot, material plus labor, so the budget falls straight out of the run around your rooms. Get that run first - the baseboard calculator turns each room into the linear feet and the lengths to buy - then price each line below.
The cost breakdown
installed cost = (material per ft + labor per ft) × linear feet + removal + paint
As a rough US starting point (your area and profile will differ):
| Part | Typical range (per linear foot) |
|---|---|
| Material - primed pine or MDF | $1 - $2 |
| Material - hardwood / tall or ornate profile | $2 - $5+ |
| Labor - cut and fit | $1 - $5 |
| All-in (supply and fit) | $2 - $8 |
On top of the supply-and-fit figure, budget separately for:
- Removing old baseboard - pulling, denailing and disposal.
- Caulk and filler - the top edge against the wall and every nail hole.
- Paint - a primed board still needs one or two finish coats.
These are ballpark figures, not a quote - trim pricing swings with region, profile and how many corners there are. Always get local bids.
What drives the price
- Profile and material. A plain primed MDF base is the cheapest; tall, ornate or hardwood profiles cost more per foot and are slower to join.
- Corners. Inside corners are coped, outside corners mitred - a room full of short walls, returns and angles has far more cutting per foot than a plain rectangle.
- Out-of-square walls. Old houses rarely have true 90° corners, so each joint is fitted by hand, which adds labor.
- Height. Taller baseboards look better but cost more per foot and show gaps more on a wavy wall, so they take longer to scribe.
- Removal and prep. Tearing out old trim, filling, caulking and painting are separate from the fit.
Worked example
A 12 ft × 15 ft living room with two doorways, in a primed MDF profile (use your own local prices):
- Perimeter: 2 × (12 + 15) = 54 ft.
- Two 3 ft doorways off: 54 − 6 = 48 linear feet of baseboard.
- Material at $1.50/ft: 48 × 1.50 = ~$72.
- Labor at $3/ft: 48 × 3 = ~$144.
- Supply and fit ≈ $216, plus caulk, filler and two coats of paint.
The point is not the exact dollars - it is that every line is one you can price locally and change.
DIY vs hiring out
Fitting baseboard yourself saves the labor, which is most of the installed cost. A plain rectangular room with a mitre saw and a coping saw is a realistic first trim job; the skill shows at the inside corners and on out-of-square walls, where tight joints are hard. A common middle path is to buy and paint the board yourself and have a finish carpenter cut and fit it. Either way, start from an accurate run: the baseboard calculator gives the linear feet and the lengths, and how much baseboard do I need shows the method behind it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does baseboard installation cost per linear foot?
As a ballpark, installed baseboard runs roughly $2 to $8 per linear foot all-in - about $1 to $3 per foot for the material and $1 to $5 per foot for labor. Plain primed pine or MDF at the low end, tall or hardwood profiles and lots of mitred corners at the high end. Regions and trim profiles move this a lot, so get local quotes and use the baseboard calculator for the linear feet to price against.
How much does it cost to install baseboard in a 12x12 room?
A 12 × 12 ft room is about 48 linear feet of wall, less a doorway, so call it 45 ft of baseboard. At $2 to $8 per foot installed that is roughly $90 to $360 for material and labor, or about $45 to $135 in material if you fit it yourself. Removing old baseboard and painting are extra. It is a wide range because the profile and your local labor rate drive it.
Is it cheaper to install baseboard yourself?
Yes - labor is usually half or more of the installed price, so doing it yourself mostly leaves the material cost. The catch is the corners: inside corners are best coped rather than mitred, and getting tight joints on out-of-square walls takes a mitre saw, a coping saw and some practice. A simple rectangular room is a good first DIY trim job; a room full of short walls and angles is where a finish carpenter earns the fee.
Does baseboard cost include removing the old trim and painting?
Usually not - those are separate lines. Pulling and disposing of old baseboard adds labor, and so does filling nail holes, caulking the top edge and painting. Many people buy pre-primed baseboard and paint it before it goes up, then touch in the nail holes after, which is faster than cutting in along a finished floor. Factor removal, caulk, filler and paint in on top of the supply-and-fit figure.
What is the cheapest baseboard to install?
Primed finger-jointed pine or MDF in a simple profile is the cheapest to buy and the quickest to fit and paint. MDF is dead straight and takes paint beautifully but dislikes moisture, so keep it out of bathrooms and laundries. Solid hardwood and tall or ornate profiles cost more per foot and take longer to cut and join. Picking a stock profile your store carries also means easy matching later.