Hello, and a question about baseboards

[bravenrace]

I'm new here and just wanted to Hi and ask a quick question. I recently had drywall installed on the walls of my shop. I want to water proof (best I can) the corners between the floor and the walls with some kind of sealer and then finish it off with a baseboard of some kind. I don't know quite what to use, but am thinking about something that would have the following qualities/features:

1. Utilitarian looking (meaning not something typically used in a house)
2. Water resistant (able to stop water on the floor from getting behind the drywall and insulation)
3. About 6" high and 1/2-1" wide
4. Tough enough that it could withstand an occasional floor jack hitting it without major damage

So not just a piece of trim, but also a water seal and bumper. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

 

[PAToyota]

Too late in your case, but this is why I did a two foot concrete block knee wall around the base of my shop. There are not many options of things that are durable and water resistant as you desire.

 

[walleyed]

go to a flooring store and ask about the comercial plastic/rubber stick on baseboard. It is tough , wipes clean and you would be able to run a bead of caulk to seal the bottom.

 

[Steve in Mi]

I think conveyor belting would satisfy all your requirements and can be had in about any color you want.

 

[kbs2244]

walleyed has the idea.
It comes 6 foot long and 6 or 8 inchs high.. You can get preformed corners.
I have seen it in black, dark brown. and white.
Simple, cheap, easy, and quick.

 

[SteveL]

What about ceramic tile? It works in your shower, right? You can find stuff on sale all the time and it's fairly easy to install. I'm doing the lower 42" in mine so I can wash cars in the winter and not worry about water splashing. Yea, I have a floor drain.

 

[bravenrace]

Thanks for all the replies. The option that walleyed and kbs2244 endorse is I think the kind of stuff you sometimes find in public bathrooms and places like that. Are you talking about the material that is contoured at the bottom to curve and meet up with the floor? The material I'm thinking of is fairly thin, which wouldn't satisfy my requirement for acting as a bumper to protect the wall somewhat.
I like the idea of conveyor belting, but would have to see it and don't know where to get it.
I also like the idea of ceramic tile, although the downsides would be more installation time and that it could break if something ran into it.
I'm going to check out all of these further, but since I don't think any of them are exactly what I was hoping for, I'd also welcome any other ideas anyone might have.
Thanks again!

 

[trainer]

I used 1x6 lumber painted with good enamel paint and caulked top and bottom with matching caulking.
Tough, cheap, easy to install, and able match and or replace any time in the future.

 

[trovato]

In commercial facilities, I've seen a band of plywood used to protect the bottom of the wall from impact. Something in the range of 6" to 12", depending on the stuff you have that might crash into it. Combine that with the rubber baseboard moulding that others have mentioned to add the water resistant seal.

 

[Vicious_Cycle]

IMO, if you have drywall down to the floor of a garage that will see water on the floor, you have already screwed-up. Gluing a piece of vinyl to the front of the drywall isn't going to buy you much.

And it won't offer much protection when you ram the floor jack into it either.

What about removing the bottom "x" number of inches of drywall with a circular saw and inserting treated 2x6 or 2x8's under the cut line? By removing the drywall first, you are ensuring that the bottom of edge of the drywall won't get wet (as it is now it will 'wick' the moisture up), and that will also make the baseboard less intrusive.

 

[bravenrace]

The drywall doesn't go all the way to the floor. It stops about an inch off of it, and there is a pressure treated 2 x 4 laying flat on the floor under it. This is a pole building that was framed for drywall after the fact, which is why the 2 x 4 exists. Removing drywall at the bottom will help the drywall, but I still have insulation that must go all the way down to that 2 x 4, as I have floor heat that is on all winter. So putting something in front of it that I can seal seems to be the best solution. The suggestions about using lumber made me think of pressure treated 5/4 board. It's tough, would spread the load out when hit so not to damage the drywall, and if screwed on and caulked could be fairly water resistant and easily replaceable. The only material I can think of that might be better would be a piece of rubber (like the conveyor belt idea) with something like a 1 x 6 cross section, but I have no idea where to get something like that, if it even exists.

 

[Vicious_Cycle]

I like the idea of using something treated down there- your idea or mine. Just lay a good bead of caulk on the floor before you install the board.

BTW, your place sounds eerily similar to mine, except that when I framed mine in between the posts, I kept it all about a half inch off the floor, even though I used treated lumber for the bottom piece. I filled that gap with expanding foam.

 

[bravenrace]

I also left a gap at the bottom, but it's not much, maybe 1/4". I noticed you are in Chardon. I grew up in Mayfield Village and now live in Tallmadge, east of Akron. Small world, eh? Thanks to you and everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you want something that looks like the traditional baseboards inside your house, how about using something like Azek? http://www.azek.com/ It's a PVC product used for exterior trim, such as for soffits or window trim. It comes in planks, or in various other molded shapes. It can be cut and nailed just like wood. There are a number of other similar products, this is just one I know of offhand. I think many lumberyards now carry it.

 

[boiler7904]

Azek or a similar material is the way I plan to go in my garage next year. I'll probably use my router to give the top edge some detail but that's just personal preference. My only concern with a PVC type product is the compressive strength since the OP wants to use it as a bumper.

 

[toyota2]

If it were me I would use Trex decking boards and then caulk around the bottom and top. It may be a little more expensive but I don't think you would ever have to replace them.

just an idea

 

[Kevin54]

The suggestions about using lumber made me think of pressure treated 5/4 board. It's tough, would spread the load out when hit so not to damage the drywall, and if screwed on and caulked could be fairly water resistant and easily replaceable.

The water will wick up the board. Ever pick up a piece of treated lumber that has been around water? What you want to use is something that is completely waterproof to begin with, then seal/ Personally I would cut the bottom few inches off, fasten on some cement board, then trim out. The bad thing about building right on top of a slab is just that....water and moisture and how to prevent it from dampening everything else. Or if you can put the cement board ober the top of the drywall as ithe drywall is not actually touching the floor, then seal it real well. Or there is the option of using the stuff that carwashes use, that is waterproof and has the pebbly looking finish to it.

Kevin

 

[lcdhs]

I basically had the same question in another thread a few weeks back. A kind soul recommended Azek. I bought some 3/4in x 4in x 9ft strips. It is white PVC, textured, paintable, water proof, won't warp, cut it like lumber. It looks fantastic after my wife painted it. I glued it to the drywall. I have three inches of concrete before it meets the drywall on one side. I cut verticle strips of Azek, glued the strips to the concrete, then glued the 9ft lengths close to the top edge, and to the strips . So far, not a bow, and straight as an arrow,