How to file a corner at 45 degrees. How to cut ceiling plinths in corners. How to veneer and form a right angle

The ceiling repair is completed with the use of ceiling plinths. Trimming them is not an extremely difficult task, but it does require some skill and accuracy. We will tell you how to cut ceiling moldings using a special tool - a miter box. Since it is not available in all homes, we will also consider Alternative option, in which you can do without it.

And now - about everything in order.

What tools will you need?

Miter box - this aluminum, plastic or wooden professional carpentry tool has the shape of a groove in the shape of an inverted letter P. With its help, the material can be sawed at the required angle. Usually it is mounted on a table or workbench. It is safe and easy to use;
An electric miter saw that replaces a miter box. Provides high cutting accuracy;
An electric jigsaw with which you can;
A sharp and well-sharpened knife for processing foam baseboards;
Saw for manipulating with wooden baguettes or canvas - when working with all others, including foam and plastic.

Miter box for cutting skirting boards

Cutting with a miter box

The use of a miter box is justified when the room has relatively smooth corners and walls. To cut the corner correctly, the part in which the cut is supposed to be made is placed in the miter box, and a saw is inserted into the guides of the tool. Remaining motionless, the part allows itself to be “cut off” at the required angle.

For fillet cutting to be effective, it must be in close contact with both surfaces at the same time. This is possible if it is pressed tightly against the wall of the tool with a section closer to the one working.

Let's say you need to cut an angle of 45 degrees. First of all, the baguette must be positioned correctly in the miter box.

Cutting sequence:

Having determined the direction in which the cut will be made, cut off the corner;
We put the cut out sections together, we get two angles: external and internal;
Applying the miter box to the ceiling, we check how even the cuts are. If necessary, you can correct some things with a knife or use the services of putty.

Cutting without a miter box

Often, it simply doesn’t make sense for a professional to purchase this tool for one repair. You can completely do without a miter box, with the help of a pencil, a sharp sharpened knife and a good eye. How? There are several ways here.

Method one: prepare something similar yourself. To do this, you need to put together a tray using three planks, then make a cut at an angle of 45 degrees, and to facilitate further actions, make markings using a school protractor or a square.

DIY miter box

Method two: A paper or cardboard template is cut out and an approximate line is drawn on it. In this case, when knocking together planks at an angle of ninety degrees, you will no longer need three, but two! How are corners cut? We put the baguette into the analogue of the tray we prepared so that its position corresponds to the one with which the plinth will be fixed to the ceiling, then we position the tray along the edge of our standard. Next, you should cut the baguette along the line drawn on the standard, holding cutting tool in a vertical position.

Another method using a random tray. It can even be imitated by a table moved close to the wall, or at least by the corner separating the wall and the flooring.

Cutting corners:

We mark the expected angles on the ceiling and wall, as well as on the fillet itself, focusing on an imaginary line cutting both parts of the baguette;
We install the plinth in the tray in the same way as it will later be fixed to the ceiling, and cut it using a knife or blade held in a strictly vertical position.

How to cut without any tools at all?

In this case it is necessary:

Make the necessary marks on the baguettes;
Connect the edges of the baguettes with the marks using a regular ruler. In the future, trimming can be done by already taking measurements at the top;
Having placed the section intended for trimming on the table with the area that will join the ceiling, we cut it at a 45 degree angle. The need for adjustments will be much less in this case;
The above steps are repeated for the outer corner.

Have you noticed that there are no special means we didn’t need to: we just need to tune in to the fact that there may be a need for adjustment.

How to make the correct docking?

If after gluing part of the baguette there is some distance left to the corner, you need to think about how to avoid making a mistake - a small margin will not hurt. First, it is better to cut off a piece with a good margin of about 10-15 cm. Then, having cut off the corner using any convenient method, try it on a dry surface. To do this, you should attach a bar to the ceiling and mark the point where the shortening border will pass. We cut at right angles.

Equally important is the correct alignment of the corners. Finished skirting boards are usually fixed at an angle slightly less than 45 degrees, so there may be inconsistencies between the cut edges and the appearance of gaps. Here, the initial cutting of the corners is followed by dry, as precise as possible joining of the skirting boards on the ceiling itself. Problems usually arise when using wooden and plastic materials.

After completing the rough joints of the fillets, either screw them in, and then, if necessary, use putty and then seal all existing seams.

The ceiling plinth not only performs a decorative function, visually separating the walls from the ceiling, but can also hide the joints of various finishing materials ceiling and walls. Not every interior design involves the use of ceiling plinths, but most often general form the room seems incomplete without it. There is nothing complicated in attaching this element - fillets - almost all types of skirting boards are attached with glue. But the question is how to trim correctly ceiling plinth in the corners of rooms, can confuse many. After all, even in the very simple room There are internal corners where the ceiling plinth strips must be joined precisely and beautifully. And in a more complex configuration of the room, you will also have to join the skirting boards, making the outer corner. In this article we will look at various options, how to cut a ceiling plinth using available tools and without them.

First, you need to figure out the question of how to cut the ceiling plinth; the answer to it depends on the material from which the fillet is made. On this moment We sell ceiling plinths made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), expanded polystyrene (foam), polyurethane and wood.

PVC ceiling skirting boards are the cheapest. They easily form dents and creases that cannot be removed, so the product has to be thrown away. Also, their disadvantage is electrostaticity - the ability to attract dust. You can cut them with a sharp construction knife or hacksaw.

Ceiling plinths made of polystyrene foam are also considered cheap. This material it is very fragile and easily crumbles during processing, so it is necessary to cut polystyrene foam with a sharp knife or a hacksaw, without applying too much pressure.

Ceiling plinths made of extruded polystyrene foam A little more expensive than polystyrene foam, they are denser and more difficult to cut. However, they crumble less, so they are easier and more convenient to work with. Cut with a construction knife and a hacksaw for metal.

Ceiling plinths made of polyurethane are the most expensive at the moment. They are durable, elastic and moisture-resistant, easy to cut with a construction knife and do not crumble. The disadvantage of polyurethane skirting boards is their dependence on temperature changes. For example, over gas stove the polyurethane baseboard will acquire residual deformation and begin to crack slightly. If you try to process or trim such a skirting board, it may bend or deform in other ways.

Wooden ceiling plinths They are dense, heavy products that can only be cut with a hacksaw, preferably with small, frequent teeth. You can also use a metal blade.

Before moving on to listing the ways to correctly cut a ceiling plinth, I would like to note that it is possible not to cut the plinth with particular precision. Available for sale special corner elements, into which the edges of the plinth are inserted. In this case, it is enough to cut the plinth strip at an angle of 90 °, and the corner element will hide all the flaws. But this method is not always used, since the dimensions of the corner elements are slightly larger than the baseboards themselves, so the corners in the room will stand out against the general background. Sometimes it can look clumsy. However, if the design of the room allows the use of corner elements for ceiling plinths, it makes sense to use them. Further instructions will be useful to those who still decide to precisely cut the skirting boards at a given angle.

A miter box is a simple carpentry tool that allows you to cut the workpiece at the required angle. Most often it is a tray made of plastic, wood or metal with vertical slots for cutting at an angle of 90° and 45°. There are also more complex designs miter box - for cutting at angles of 90, 60 and 45 degrees. For more professional work a miter box with rotating mechanism, where the hacksaw can be fixed at any angle to the workpiece.

How to cut ceiling plinth using a miter box - internal corner:

We apply the plinth to the ceiling and measure the required length.
Then we install the plinth strip in the miter box so that the position coincides with the position of the plinth on the ceiling.
The plinth strip should be pressed against the far wall of the miter box.
We hold the plinth with our left hand.
We choose the position of the hacksaw when the angle is 45 degrees and at the same time the handle of the hacksaw is as close as possible to the left hand.
We cut the workpiece without putting excessive pressure on the saw.
The next step is cutting the baseboard striker. We also install it to the far wall of the miter box.
Press and hold with your right hand.
We choose a position for the hacksaw when the angle is 45 degrees and the handle of the hacksaw approaches the right hand.
Cut off the baseboard.

Next, we join the cut plinth strips and check the cutting accuracy. For more accurate orientation, they also say that to make an internal corner, you need to start cutting from the front part of the plinth. After cutting, wooden skirting boards will most likely have to be adjusted with a file.

How to cut a ceiling plinth using a miter box - outer corner:

In order not to make a mistake with the dimensions, it is better to start by marking the inner corner, and then cut out the outer corner. Otherwise, there may be a situation where the bar may not be long enough.
It is necessary to attach the plank to the ceiling and outline the dimensions.
We install the ceiling plinth strip and press it against the nearest wall.
We hold with our left hand and select a position for the hacksaw at an angle of 45 degrees, when the handle approaches the left hand.
We cut off the workpiece.
We install the counter plate to the nearest wall and hold it with our right hand.
We install the hacksaw at an angle of 45 degrees, when the handle approaches the right hand.
We cut off the workpiece and join the corner.

Trimming the workpiece using a miter box is only suitable if the angle between the walls is even - 90 degrees. If the accuracy leaves much to be desired, you will have to use other methods.

How to cut the corner of a ceiling plinth using markings on the ceiling

Marking the plinth on the ceiling also allows you to cut the corner smoothly and accurately. The only drawback of this method is that it is difficult and inconvenient to hold the plinth strip suspended during the cutting process. Otherwise, you can mark the angle for cutting in this way even more accurately than in other ways. When applying the plinth to the installation site, all flaws in the walls and deviations in the size of the angle are immediately taken into account.

Cutting the corner of the ceiling plinth:

First of all, two blanks need to be cut at an angle of 90 degrees.

Then we first apply one plank, resting its end against a perpendicular wall. We draw a line on the ceiling outlining the contour of the plinth.

We remove this plank and attach a counter plank, also resting its end against the wall. We draw a line.

The intersection point of the outlined lines will be the mark at which it is necessary to cut the baseboard.
Again we apply each strip one by one and mark the cutting point on them.
Draw a line from this point to the other edge of the plinth.

We cut the skirting boards along the marked lines, join them and apply them to the installation site. Please note that using this method it is more convenient to cut internal corners.

Something resembling a miter box can be made by applying the required cutting angles to paper, cardboard or wood. You need to draw two parallel lines, determine the center, and then mark the necessary angles using a protractor. The advantage of this method is that you can set any angle, including more than 90 degrees. Of course, before cutting the corners of the ceiling plinth, you must first check the angle between the walls using a corner and measure it with a protractor.

The technique for cutting a ceiling plinth using a painted miter box is exactly the same as using the miter box itself. Press the plinth strip against one of the parallel lines, then place the hacksaw under the right angle, which is already outlined, and cut it off.

Makeshift miter box tray with your own hands

Making a miter box with your own hands is also not difficult.

Method 1. You will need three wooden planks or boards, which must be knocked together into a U-shaped box. Then the necessary angles are marked on the walls of the box, and the cut is made with a hacksaw. The result should be a wooden miter box with grooves cut out in it.

Method 2. A combination of a makeshift miter box and a template with outlined lines. For ease of cutting, it is necessary to build something that will conveniently hold the ceiling plinth strip, since it is difficult to hold it suspended. It is enough to put together a corner from two wooden planks or boards. On paper you need to draw lines with angles for cutting at 45 degrees or any other. Then we apply the plinth blank to the corner, press it with our hand, as described in the technology for using a miter box, move the paper with the template under the edge where we are going to make the cut, and cut it off. During the cutting process, we focus on the line drawn on the paper.

Method 3. You can use anything as an improvised miter box, anything that forms a corner. For example, a table pushed against the wall.

Important! Please note the rule for taking measurements for cutting ceiling plinths. To mark an internal corner, you need to measure the length directly from the corner itself. To mark the outer corner, you need to be aware that the baseboard will protrude into the room at a distance equal to its width.

You should not fix the ceiling plinth strips before you have cut the counter strip and tried out their location. Only after the two strikers meet perfectly in the corner can you begin to attach them to the ceiling. Small flaws can be corrected with a file or nail file in the case of wooden and polyurethane skirting boards. To adjust the foam products, you will have to use a sharp knife.

If suddenly, even after adjusting the baseboards, a small gap remains between them, do not despair, it can be repaired with putty. Cutting the ceiling plinth yourself is not difficult. But in order not to spoil a lot of products, it is better to first practice on small pieces.

There are now more than enough tips on how to cut a baseboard at 45 degrees on the Internet, the only bad thing is that most of them are given by people who have never done this. Next, from a practical point of view, I will tell you how to cut skirting boards at the corners with your own hands in 3 options, and you will learn about both traditional methods and folk universal recipes.

The science of how to properly trim ceiling moldings in corners is not as complicated as it may seem.

A few words about tools and materials

Floor skirting boards are now made of wood or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in other words, plastic. For ceiling fillets, the list is a little longer:

The range of ceiling plinths is much wider than that of the floor type.

Polyurethane - these skirting boards have good elasticity and can bend around radial and other curved surfaces, but in any case they need to be trimmed to precise angles;
Foam plastic is the simplest budget option, the price of foam skirting boards is low and they are very easy to cut;
PVC - the principle is the same as that of floor skirting boards, but the model range is much wider;
Wooden - similar to floor ones, only here there are also wide models;
Gypsum - with the advent of polyurethane and foam plastic, gypsum ceiling fillets faded into the background, firstly, they are heavy, and secondly, fragile. But to be fair, they are worth mentioning.

Since it is impossible to correctly cut the ceiling plinth and its floor counterpart without a good tool, we will dwell on this issue in a little more detail.

The best, almost ideal tool for trimming any skirting boards and more is a miter saw with a rotating bed. The high-speed disc makes smooth and precise cuts, and the bed in these units rotates to any angle. The only problem is the serious cost of this tool.

A miter saw is an almost ideal tool for cutting baseboards and more.

It is believed that one of the best hand tools for precision cutting of small blocks is a back saw. In principle, this is true, but I’ll tell you honestly, it’s not easy to find a really high-quality saw, even with the current assortment. If you decide to buy such a tool, then take a saw with a fine tooth.

Theoretically, foam and polyurethane can be cut with any sharp and durable knife. But at the same time you need to have a steady hand and at least a little experience in cutting foam. Plus, cutting wide fillets with a knife is very problematic.

Without experience, making a clear cut with a knife is very problematic.

Personally, if I don’t have a crosscut tool, I only use a hacksaw. It is suitable for cutting absolutely any material, from foam to wood. By the way, people often ask the question of how to cut a plastic baseboard for the floor, so take a hacksaw for metal and you definitely can’t go wrong.

For cutting skirting boards, a hacksaw is considered one of the best tools.

Three working methods for trimming skirting boards

For floor and ceiling skirting boards, the cutting instructions are almost the same. But if on the floor a crooked corner can be covered with something, then on the ceiling this is already a problem, so we will pay more attention to how to cut the ceiling plinths.

Method number 1. Classic miter box

The classic miter box is a U-shaped box with slots in the opposite sides. A piece of suitable size is inserted into this stock and sawed off with a hacksaw through the slots in the sides. The idea is not new, the tool is already several hundred years old, but despite its simplicity, not everyone knows how to correctly cut the corner of a ceiling plinth using such a miter box.

Not everyone knows how to cut a ceiling plinth in a corner using a classic miter box.

Tip: when trimming, ceiling plinths are applied to the side of the miter box that is closest to you, and floor plinths, on the contrary, should be applied to the side of the tool farthest from you. This is not a dogma, but it is much easier to work this way.

It is easier to work with floor plinths, since the miter box lies on a horizontal plane, it is easier for you to orient yourself in the position of the plinth. People most often make mistakes when cutting ceiling fillets; they simply insert them into the tool incorrectly. There is a simple but important rule here.

Important: the side of the ceiling fillet that touches the wall should be directed to the upper edge of the side of the miter box, and that part of the plinth that borders the ceiling should be placed on the bottom of the miter box.

As you know, a corner has 2 sides, so in order to make fewer mistakes, train yourself to place the bar that will be mounted on the right side of the corner in the miter box on the right, and the bar that is attached to the left in the miter box on the left. The intricacies of using a classic miter box are described in detail in the video in this article.

In addition to the classic U-shaped miter box, there are two more types of similar designs - a professional and a rotary tool. As for the professional option, only masters use it. The device is quite bulky, but it rotates at any angle and has a hacksaw that can be locked in the desired position.

Professional miter box with the ability to fix a hacksaw and workpiece.

The rotating device can easily be called a “pocket” miter box. The only advantage here is the ability to clearly fix the angle of rotation of the bar. On the one hand, it’s easy to work with - set the corner, apply it to the baseboard and cut it off. But on the other hand, you need to get used to such a tool; if you do not have experience working with a hacksaw, then you should not take a rotary miter box.

Advice: when choosing a classic U-shaped miter box, first of all, do not buy Chinese products. And secondly, try to buy models with the ability to rigidly fix the part inside; one of these models is shown in the photo below.

A miter box with the ability to fix the part inside is much more convenient to work with.

Method number 2. Trimming according to a template

Most often, both ceiling and floor skirting boards need to be cut at 45º. If there is no specialized tool nearby, then an improvised miter box can be drawn on a piece of notebook paper. From the school geometry course we know that the diagonal of any square in relation to the base has an inclination angle of 45º.

Next you need to draw a square and draw 2 diagonals in it - this will be the required 45º. All you have to do is correctly attach the plinth to the leaf and mark. True, in order to cut the plinth smoothly without guides, you need a good eye and a steady hand.

Method No. 3. Applied universal

Trimming at 45º is a common option, but what if you need a different angle and only have a hacksaw and a pencil? It turns out that there is a very simple way out of this situation. Plus, this method is universal, it is suitable for both external and internal corners.

Moreover, I can assure you that those angles that visually seem straight, in fact have deviations of a couple of degrees. As a result, you buy a good tool, cut at exactly 45º, and when joining, a gap appears between the baseboards. Here this problem disappears. And then, using an example, we will look at how to cut the ceiling plinth in the inner corner.

Illustrations	Recommendations
	Stage 1. Take a fillet, place it on one side of the corner and use it to draw 2 lines, along the wall and along the ceiling. Advice: to make the lines unnoticeable, they can be drawn not with a pencil but, for example, with a nail or the tip of a knife.
	Stage 2. Do the same on the adjacent side of the corner.
	Stage 3. If you draw a diagonal from the intersection of the lines on the ceiling to the inner corner, you will get the desired cutting line.
	Stage 4. Next, take the tool and cut along the finished markings. If you are comfortable with a hacksaw, then the baseboards should fit together perfectly.
	. As I already mentioned, using exactly the same technology you can trim outside corner.

Important nuances

If you tried your best, but a small gap at the joint still “came out,” do not be discouraged. In wooden fillets, such a gap can be easily covered with furniture wax. To fill a gap on baseboards made of polyurethane, foam, plastic or plaster, putty is perfect. Naturally, the color of the composition must match the color of the baseboard.

All cracks in the area of the ceiling fillets are sealed with putty.

Wide ceiling fillets are certainly beautiful, but they can only be mounted on perfectly flat walls. If the plane of the wall in relation to the ceiling is wavy, then it is better to buy narrow polyurethane fillets, they are elastic and will smooth out this drawback.

The most questions arise about how to cut wallpaper to fit the ceiling plinth. There is nothing complicated here: the wallpaper is glued with a slight overlap on the baseboards and when the wall is completely glued, take a large spatula, place it in the corner and cut off the excess along the blade with a knife.

But keep in mind - neither the knife nor the spatula can be removed from the wall until you have gone through the entire plane. That is, you put a spatula from the corner, cut the wallpaper along the length of the blade, and then, without lifting the blade from the wall, move and cut until you reach the next corner.

Conclusion

All three methods I described work; the choice depends on what tool you have and what your professional skills are. If after watching the video you still have questions, welcome to the comments, I’ll help in any way I can.