Craftsman/Prairie Style
I love the angular steps of this baseboard design. It’s like Falling Water, but without the water, kind of.
I based it on one of Frank Loyd Wright’s baseboards, but from which home I don’t remember.
I probably saw it while leafing through one of those giant coffee table books of his but was too cheap to buy.
This three-piece baseboard is seven inches tall and is made from simple MDF board and a common quarter-round base shoe. I know I say this a lot, but… you could buy the materials to make it yourself today and install it this weekend!
I left a gap below the baseboard to allow for carpet installation. Yes, I know, on top of wood floors.
Molding Inventory to Make this Baseboard: About $1.07/lf
MDF-300
This is the 3/4″ thick MDF board that I ripped down to make the 6″ wide baseboard foundation. You can get about 7 ea. 8′ long boards from one sheet. That means each board cost you about $4.66 ea. or about $0.58/lf.
$32.64/sheet = about $0.58/lf.
MDF-200
I made the baseboard cap out of this 1/2″ MDF board. You can make about 45 ea., 1″ tall base caps from a single sheet of this MDF board. That’s how I came up with the price below.
About $0.61/8′ stick of base cap. Or, about $0.08/lf. Man that’s cheap!
PM-006
This is a simple 1/4-round base shoe you can buy most any place they sell moldings.
About $0.41/lf.
[See all the moldings I use on TJOM at DIY Molding Inventory page.]
DIY WAINSCOTING-100
Learn step by step how to install the wainscoting that goes with this project.
I love this base molding! It’s simple, yet unique. What sort of profile would you suggest for a crown molding that would go with this base? My husband and I are slowly remodeling our tiny, late 40s war-box and have decided to go with a simple, “poor-man’s” Craftsman style inside and out.
Marissa: I’ve seen many crown moldings like CROWN MOLDING-106 in Craftsman style homes.
Ken,
First, great site! You have provided inspiration for my own home projects. I have a question on this baseboard. Would it work out ok to use a 1/2″ mdf base and 1/4″ mdf wrap to give a total thickness of 3/4″? I am planning to use 3/4″ mdf sheet to build my door molding and will use 7/8″-1″ plinth blocks.
Thanks,
George
Ok, looking through the site more it looks like i may have misinterpreted. I see on the wainscoting page that the base looks to be built with a thin cap of 1/2″ mdf over the 3/4 base. Correct? What i am looking to replicate is the buildup in the second photo above. What thickness are the plinth blocks?
Thanks again,
George
Hi George,
You are correct, sir. That’s 3/4″ thick mdf board making up the bottom (fascia) of the baseboard with 1/2″ mdf board for the cap.
The plinth block is a combination of 3/4″ mdf board with a 1/4″ thick piece of mdf board glued to the back so I could get the full 1″ thick plinth block I was looking for.