i want to put mop boards back in the house to replace the poor quality 3" baseboard material that was used. i want stained wood not painted. we think the floor is maple.

what type of wood should i use?

fir is way too expensive for us now.

i am leaning towards pine or cherry.

i am prepared to scour the lumber yards digging through piles to find the best pine boards i can. we are on a tight budget so i am leaning to using #2 pine and seeking out the best stuff in the piles.

i also want to finish out the archway between the dining room and living room. the walls are plaster. can i just nail the boards to the archway or do i need to do more? i would assume pilot holes would be a good idea to releive the stress on the plaster.

here is the dining room:



there is no trim on any of the archways except one and it makes the rest of the walls look very odd to me. i want to finish all of them off.

i also am trying to figure a way to cover the baseboard radiators with some sort of wooden box that will blend in with the mopboards. the plan is to leave the front open and cover the opening with some sort of decorative screen. like this:



plywood with a good top veneer and a cap on the face to hide the plys was suggested to avoid cracking/warpage from the heat.

the metal radiator covers are in very poor condition (and ugly). i would assume that plywood will be cheaper than new metal covers.

thanks in advance,
Greg

just spent a couple hours measuring things.

it has 9 foot ceilings. a couple rooms have been sheetrocked. the upstairs bedroom/attic door is upside down. not sure why but it is.

Greg,

Here are some images of 1920's millwork that will give you some ideas of the shapes of the pieces used around the doors and windows and the baseboards.


Lauren

thanks for the images.

i was happy to discover that all the window trim appears to be original in the main living areas.

now it is just time to strip some paint and pick out the stain and type of wood for the mopboards.

oh, and close on the house too. i am very anxious.