If I understand correctly, yes, you would need to build out the toe space, but I think you would need more than just spaced blocks. Baseboard is fairly flimsy and would bow in and out without a solid support all the way behind it.

Do you have a photo of how you want it to look?

Are you doing this in the entire kitchen, or just areas where you don't have to stand too close to the cabinets?

hi marti8a

thx - that's a good point about it bowing in and out, but i figured if the blocks were spaced every foot or so apart, it would be ok? the baseboard moulding will probably be about 5/8" thick.... also, i couldn't figure out how to build out the toekick area if using a 1x or 2x 6. wouldn't i have to attach it to the toekick using blocks, anyway? or do people nail through it from the inside of the cabinet somehow?

i don't have a specific photo of what i'm thinking of doing, but it is fairly standard. it's basically the same or similar baseboard i have on my walls. i am only using baseboard trim around the island, and am not too worried about my feet banging into it. (i don't get that close to the island, and my feet are fairly small.)

nailing the baseboard into the face frame is not an option, since there is maybe only 1/4" of exposed frame, and it would interfere with the bottom of the doors.

does any of this make sense? ; ) thx for your help.

My DH did a great job updating our old cabinets with base trim. He did add blocks to the toekick. He also came around the sides of the island (that doesn't have the toekick), with the base trim, and attached the wood to it, as well as the block. Then he closed the gap with a piece of basecap, I think. I hope I'm describing it correctly, but I'll include a pic.

Oh, ok, I see. Is that what you want zanne? Or solid baseboard all the way across? I'm planning on doing something similar in my kitchen, but mainly because I want it to be easier to clean.

I still think you'll need more support under the baseboard, but I guess you can hold a strip of the baseboard horizontally and see how stiff it is. I just know the regular baseboard in my house would have to have support all the way across.

thanks, lake girl, for the pic. your cabinets are beautiful! that is the exact baseboard and bracket feet profile i want, except that some of my perimeter cabinets will have bracket feet, while my island will have baseboard all around. All my cabinets currently have recessed toekicks.

marti8a - yes, based on your input, i do feel that more support is in order. "better safe than sorry," right? : )

lake girl, would you mind asking your dh *exactly* what he used as a support where the toekick was recessed? he really did a beautiful job!

How wide and deep is your toekick area that you are trying to fill?

IMHO, simpler is better. Rather than cut blocks to space every foot or so, why not just use a solid piece of lumber across the whole thing? Say your cavity is 4" high by 3" deep, and your baseboards are 3/4" thick. You could take a 4x4 (which is 3.5x3.5) and rip it to 3" (cavity depth) - 3/4" (baseboard thickness) = 2.25" thick. (If ripping a 4x4 is not possible with your tools, you could screw a 1x4 to a 2x4 for the same effect.) It does not matter that this is not the same height as the toekick cavity. Then you will have the problem of attaching this fairly thick board to a flimsy toekick, without backside access. I would predrill and countersink holes in it for construction screws in it, and screw it to the toekick. Now you have a sturdy substrate to nail your baseboard to. After attaching the 3/4 baseboard, it will be flush with the cabs.

The hefty piece of lumber seems like overkill, and, frankly, it is, but it is easier than cutting and fitting individual blocks.

Thanks zanne lh! He did a great job refreshing the cabinets we have had since the 90's. I'll get the details from DH when he gets home this evening.

Angie DIY - thank you, that is so helpful! I promptly went to measure the depth of my toekick, but found that it ranges from 3 1/8-3/8. Should I make up for the difference in depth along the run with shims?

Should I make up for the difference in depth along the run with shims?

Exactly! When I read the first sentence, I was ready to respond with a suggestion for shims, but you beat me to it!

If you want the look that is in the picture, except without the cutout, my dh said to use a 1x4 cut to the depth of the toekick about every 16inches, then attach the baseboard to that. In our case, he attached the 1x4 piece (not actually a block), cut to the depth of our toekick, to the cabinet. That gave him something to attach the baseboard to. Here's a picture taken next to the dishwasher, looking back at a piece of wood he attached. (Pardon the dusty picture! I better get back down there and see if that dust is still there :) I hope it gives you an idea.

Did he put the 1x4 blocks that far apart because of the cutout in the baseboard? Your baseboard looks like solid wood too, not masonite. Is it finger-jointed or one piece? I like that it is all one piece. From your first picture I thought it was a 1x4 with a piece of small trim on top.

I'm not sure about the spacing, I'll ask him later. The baseboard is solid wood. Not sure what fingerjointed is, but the trim on top is a separate piece. I've had to adjust a little to standing next to the cabinets, because there's not as much toe space as there use to be. But it's not been a big deal.

angie diy & lake girl - thank you so much for taking the time to respond!!! this is exactly the info i was looking for. while they're different approaches, it definitely gives me some ideas how to proceed. i wasn't able to visualize the steps before, but now i can. thanks again!