How much baseboard do I need for a 15×20 room?
A 15 × 20 ft room has 70 feet of wall. Minus 2 doorways that is 64 linear feet of baseboard, or 5 boards of 16 ft with 10 percent waste (6 boards of 12 ft). Shoe molding takes the same 64 feet. Adding crown molding takes 70 feet (6 boards), and casing the doors and two windows takes 98 feet (8 boards).
Trim boards for a 15×20 room
| Board length | Baseboard boards | Shoe molding boards | Crown boards (if used) | Casing boards (if used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 9 | 9 | 11 | 15 |
| 12 ft | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 16 ft | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
64 linear feet of baseboard and shoe after 2 doors, 70 feet of crown around the full perimeter, and 98 feet of casing for the doors (both sides) and two windows. Waste is 10 percent on baseboard and 15 percent on crown and casing.
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Full trim list for a 15×20 room
- Baseboard: 64 ft, 5 boards of 16 ft. Use 3-1/4 in for 8 ft ceilings, 5-1/4 in for 9 ft.
- Shoe or quarter round: 64 ft, 5 boards of 16 ft, for hard floors only.
- Crown: 70 ft, 6 boards, if you want it. Buy 15 percent extra; compound miters eat material.
- Casing: 98 ft for 2 doors both sides plus two windows, 8 boards.
- Supplies: 1 box of 2 in finish nails (or 18 gauge brads for a nailer), 3 tubes of paintable caulk, wood filler, and a quart of trim paint per 100 to 150 ft. The paint calculator covers the walls.
What trim for a 15×20 room costs
Baseboard alone: $80 to $160 in primed MDF at $1 to $2 per foot, $160 to $280 in primed pine, or $320 to $640 in stain-grade oak. The whole package of baseboard, shoe, crown, and casing is 296 linear feet, roughly $444 to $1,184 in paint-grade material. A finish carpenter charges about $5 to $10 per linear foot installed for baseboard and $8 to $15 for crown, so $320 to $640 for the baseboard in this room. Installing it yourself takes an afternoon with a miter saw and a brad nailer; cope the inside corners rather than mitering them and they will stay tight when the house moves.
Common questions
How many linear feet of baseboard for a 15x20 room?
64 linear feet after subtracting 2 standard 3 ft doorways from the 70 ft perimeter. Buy 70 feet to allow 10 percent for cuts.
How many boards of baseboard for a 15x20 room?
5 boards of 16 ft, 6 of 12 ft, or 9 of 8 ft. Longer boards mean fewer joints; plan each wall so any joint lands on a stud and use a scarf joint, not a butt joint.
How much crown molding for a 15x20 room?
70 linear feet around the full perimeter, which is 6 boards of 16 ft with 15 percent waste for the compound miters. Crown is not reduced for doorways because it runs above them.