How to Miter Cut Shoe Molding

The shoe molding is a thin small trim designed to complement the baseboard molding and is mainly used to hide the gaps between the baseboards and the floor and at the same time adding a decorative touch to the room. A well-executed shoe molding installation is not difficult to achieve as the trim is so small but it can make ordinary base molding seem extraordinary. In order for your project to qualify as professional-grade, you’ll need to pay particularly close attention to the miter cuts.

Step 1 - Mark the Shoe Molding

The key to professional-looking miter cuts is taking accurate measurements from corner to corner. Make sure the blade of the tape measure is tight to the inside or outside corner and record the measurement to the sixteenth of an inch. Mark the measurement with a fine tip pencil taking care to keep the line at a 45° angle.

Step 2 - Make the Miter Cut

Use the miter saw to make the cut. Remember to keep the blade to the outside of the mark. This will account for the width of the saw blade when making the cut. If this important step is overlooked, the cut will often be short of the desired length. It’s also important to use a fine-tooth blade when making this cut, so as not to splinter the shoe molding.