Putting 3" pine floor trim in basement-have questions?

Question

We just have carpet & tile laid in the basement after a pipe broke & it flooded. We are now putting on the trim. We picked out a 3" pine to stain(I think it's a 1x4x12. Kind of looking for a natural, cozy, outdoorsy type look w/o making it look like a cabin. We live in the SW MO & were curious if this is a smart move investment wise for when we resell later. Or should we just use the premade trim. Also any helpful hints are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Answer 1

My first thought would be, have you resolved the flooding issue forever? Obviously forever is a nebulous word.

   In a basement,,,in any case, my usual procedure is to install drywall, leaving it at least 3/4 inch off the floor surface. Second, I would have installed trim before carpet.

  Third, the pine sounds fine, no pun intended, and since you don't detail any other damage, my drywall suggestion may be  moot point? I have to imagine the trim wasn't prohibitively expensive, and any NEVER ROT or extruded cellular foam trim with a grained contact paper over, won't do a thing to add any value, but then again, neither will your Pine trim.

   The entire notion, in your case is aesthetics. Certainly better to invest something, that might be almost overlooked by a buyer, in their expectations, than to install something that glares at them, announcing CHEAP,,, no offense.

   I would suggest one other thing. After you stain, I want to assume you might clear coat, in some low level of sheen? I'd do the same on the RAW, backside of the trim as well. Also IF you have walls longer than 12 ft, IE: 13 ft. ,  you might decide that adding a 1 ft. piece could look more abstract than using a 6 ft. and a 7 ft. piece,,, FOR example, and 45 the trim to BUTT, not a square end cut.

just my two "sense"

Answer 2

if you want to stain the pine I suggest you use the Minwax finish that has a little yellow init. Just enough to give the wood a nice soft look. Any darker than that and it will just look like a dark stripe running around the room.

Have you got a sump and a drain pump in the basement now??

Answer 3

Personally, I like the look of the taller trim boards, like the ones you've picked out.

Be sure to mitre the corners as opposed to butting them together.  Gives a cleaner, more professional look.

Should you decide to sell the house later, if the new owner doesn't like the trim, it would be at their discretion to re-do it..  

If you're really having doubts you could always check with your realtor and get his/her opinion.