Attaching baseboard to plaster/block wall

[Todd]

I'm replacing the baseboards in my 1948 home. The outer walls of the home are cinder block coated with plaster. The original baseboards were nailed with 8d nails directly through the plaster and into the block.

For the new baseboards, I was considering securing the base using a 15 gauge air nailer and shooting 8d nails into the block as done originally. Is this a bad idea considering the age (55 years) of the block-- i.e., will this cause the block to crack/crumble? Is there a better way to secure the new baseboards to this type of wall?

[Roger]

If the cinderblock is fairly rotten, you could use 1 1/2 inch panelling nails - painted, tempered, carbon steel nails, or try a caulking gun with a tube of "liquid nails" , then figure a way of holding the baseboards against the wall while the glue dries, maybe using weights, or wooden wedges.

" I was considering securing the base using a 15