. The Case for Not Leveling Trim

The older a house, the less likely its floors and ceilings will be level. So don’t make yourself crazy trying to level baseboards and crown molding: You won’t succeed, and trim that’s level next to a surface that isn’t will only emphasize the discrepancy. Interior trim, like politics, is an art of compromise. Trim edges should be roughly parallel to floors and ceilings. As master carpenter Joseph Beals puts it, "Baseboard is effectively floor trim, and the floor plane is the critical reference, level or not."

Midwall elements such as chair rails, picture rails, and wainscoting call for yet more fudging. Ideally, chair rails should be level and wainscoting stiles (vertical pieces) should be plumb, but those ideals may clash with existing trim that’s neither. In that case, split the difference: Tack up a length of trim that’s level. Then raise or lower one end till your eye accepts the compromise.

Trim can also help give the illusion of a level ceiling-helpful, when upper kitchen cabinets must be set level even if the ceiling isn’t. So after leveling and securing upper cabinets, install a strip of molding to cover the gap above. (You may need to rip it down at an angle.) If you look for it, you’ll see the uneven strip of molding between the cabinets and the ceiling. But if the cover trim matches the cabinet finish, chances are nobody else will notice the difference.

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