Baseboard and ceiling height?

Question

Is there a correlation between baseboard and ceiling height? I am doing a farmhouse look and was planning a board and batten look in the kitchen/ laundry area, with a 6 ' baseboard and 4' top rail. We have standard 8 ft ceilings, and our contractor thinks I should do 4' baseboards because of that. What does everyone think?  Will the 6' look bad?

Adrianne C · Answer

I think you should put up what you like, you are the one going to look at it not your contractor!

Chris aka monkey · Answer

@Lana Westerfield i agree you do what you want contractors are not always right maybe he has a stash of 4' he wants to use up lol xx

Lana Westerfield · Answer

Lol he's really a great guy but I think he is just going the 'safe' route! I'm stepping outside the norm maybe... :) I'm going to go for it! Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond!

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

I would stay with the base size you have in the rest of the house. Also the larger the trim the smaller the room will look. 
Put a length down of each size and look at it. Choose the one you like the best and return the other.

Lana Westerfield · Answer

All of the baseboards are being replaced, so there  is no issue with mismatched baseboards. All of the concrete was painted... We have removed all the paint and baseboards in the entire house.... We are walking on the slab and in the process of tiling the entire house

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Then go with the one you like best. Also remember if your using tile the larger the tile, the larger the base should be as It will appear smaller in size compared to larger tile.

Jeanette S · Answer

I had a friend that put in taller base boards and I loved them. But if you increase the size of the baseboards, they look better if you increase the width of the door facings too! Those 3' door facings look strange with 6'+ baseboards. Notice in the photo you posted...the 2 are balanced! Also, keep in mind that even with 8' ceilings, you can make the batten board taller if you wish and even put a small shelf on top! This would be particularly handy in a kitchen/laundry. I was recently at my sisters and she has a drop in stove and at the top where the dials are, there is a 2' space...like a little shelf. She sits spices on that shelf! SOOOO handy. There are many uses for small shelves in that area. Put some grooves in some of the boards as you go in case you want to sit plates on them later on!

Gay E · Answer

I have 5 inch baseboards with a 8 foot ceiling and they look great to me. I think it is a matter of taste and what appeals to you. I say go with what looks good to you.

Carol · Answer

I think you will be disappointed if you don't go with what you originally wanted. The taller base will be impressive and give you the vintage farmhouse look you are going for.

Craig W. Isaac Architecture · Answer

The base should be taller (wider) than the rest of the trim - personally would not think of doing 4' baseboard unless you are looking for the rustic beach cottage look.

Marilee H · Answer

Sometimes a contractor will do what he's always done, rather than what you want, or what's in style now. Do it your way!

Sunny Lavallee · Answer

GO FOR IT.. ITS YOUR HOUSE

Edith · Answer

cut our some paper (newspaper?) the differnt widths and tape them up in a corner and see for yourself which you prefer, or if you have scrap wood, try that.  Until I really 'see' it, I'm never really sure.

Mary Davin · Answer

Agree with 'do it your way!' It's not the baseboard height that will matter, as much as the right height and width of the wainscotting above the baseboard, and how well it's applied! My landlord insisted on wainscotting the walls of my bathroom. What was once a classy old bathroom now looks like the inside of a barn as he put the wainscotting too low and too wide on the wall, painted the upper wall and wainscotting a pale taupe, and kept the old chestnut wood baseboard below. He did a horrible job of the entire project that took him months to complete! He ruined the plaster walls so that if the wainscotting were to ever be removed, the walls would require extensive spackling to restore.

St. Paul Haus · Answer

Absolutely go with the 6' over the 4.

Kemberly Boston · Answer

6 definitely

Cynthia Clayton Carpenter · Answer

I am a residential drafts person/ designer. 6' is not too tall for the baseboard of an 8' tall wall. But, I wouldn't use anything wider than that. The height of the baseboard IS relative to the ceiling heights in good design. I suggest a simple 1x6 for your baseboards. If you are doing  wainscoting  on the wall, remember the 1/3 rule. Keep the wainscoting no higher than 36' for pleasing balance. Or do a taller wainscoting at 2/3 height of the wall.

Brian Cartwright · Answer

Is that not wainscotting?

Baseboard and ceiling height?

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Baseboard and ceiling height?

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