That time my power stretcher slipped and I took out a baseboard

Was working a living room install in Portland last Tuesday and my kicker slid right off the tack strip, sent me flying into a wall with the stretcher head smashing a brand new white MDF baseboard. Had to cut out a 6 inch section and patch it with wood filler before the homeowner got back from work, took almost an hour to match the paint and texture. Anybody else ever have a stretcher just lose grip on you like that and what did you do to fix the damage?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaeld481mo ago

Classic case of the floor fighting back. Wood filler and paint matching is basically a rite of passage in this trade. Honestly, your repair sounds cleaner than most baseboard installs I see.

jade5171mo ago

Did you seal the MDF edges before you put the filler in though? Cause ruby_jones is right about MDF turning into a sponge the second moisture gets near it... I've had filler pop out on me before because I got lazy with the primer step and it never held. How long did it take you to get the paint texture close enough you couldn't see the patch line in the light?

ruby_jones1mo ago

Respectfully gotta disagree here. Patching a busted baseboard with wood filler is never a clean fix, especially on MDF. That stuff swells up the second moisture hits it and the filler will crack out within a year unless you sealed it perfect. I've seen too many of these "quick fixes" turn into a whole baseboard replacement down the line when the homeowner notices the seam showing through the paint. If you're gonna do it right, you cut a clean scarf joint and replace the whole section with a new piece, then cope the ends to match. Sure it takes longer but you're not coming back for a warranty call six months later. That hour of paint matching is just kicking the can down the road.