Greetings all!
I am about to install about 150 feet of rubber cove wall base in the bottom floor of my house in Southern California, USA. We call this floor the "basement" since part of it is about four feet below ground level, but in truth it really isn't much like a basement. There is some moisture, but not so much as to be a problem. The floor is stained concrete and the walls are mudded and painted drywall.
I have never installed wall base before. The brand we have is Flexco, and we have it as three 50 ft. rolls, as opposed to 4 ft. strips. We also have Flexco cove base adhesive.
I see on the back of the carton that they like the product to be installed when temps are between 65 and 85 degrees. That is not a problem. However, the carton also says "maintain room temps between
55 and 95 degrees thereafter." Forever? Sadly, I can't control SoCal temps -- I assume that temps on that floor will occasionally dip below 55 (winter) and above 95 (summer). Oh well.On at least one site (associated with a different brand of cove base) I saw that they recommended that their product be laid flat for 48 hours prior to installation. Flexco rubber cove base seems very flexible -- once uncoiled, it demonstrates no burning desire to recoil. Any thoughts as to whether I do or do not need to lay this product flat for some amount of time prior to installation?
Also...perhaps most importantly...how should I handle "inside" and "outside" corners? Do I need to use separate pieces which meet in beveled cuts at the corner, or can I bend...perhaps with the aid of some deft X-acto knife preparation...an uninterrupted piece of rubber cove base around these corners? Should I cut a little "v" in the base of the cove base for inside corners? Should I carve out a little "half of the thickness" channel on the back of the cove base where it bends around an outside corner?
Do I need some kind of specialized "wall base roller" tool to push the cove base consistently and firmly into the adhesive, or can I just do that by pressing with my hand?
Are there any online sources I should consult for advice concerning this project?
Thanks in advance for any advice at all!
Chuck