Installing baseboards where drywall is recessed

Submitted by football_mayne t3_ydb2if in DIY

I am refinishing a single car garage at my home. I have added insulation, drywall, tile, etc. And am finally ready for baseboards/trim. Today I went to take a look around and noticed that the drywall is recessed around 1/2 inch on about 7-10 feet of the drywall, the rest of the room is fine. I though I could add a sliver of wood behind the baseboard to fill it in, but I think that will look really odd. Is my only option redoing the drywall? https://imgur.com/a/ay0ugex

Edit: Just want to reiterate that this is in a garage. I imagine that is why there is the concrete lip, and not studs all the way to the floor. Just a novice DIYer's guess though

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blind-panic t1_itr5lxi wrote

If it were me, given its a garage, I would install some 1/2" trim before putting the baseboards up so that the two are flush at the top. Finish with some caulk and at least it will be a good seal. Main concern with a garage is preventing mice and other critters from getting into the walls.

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football_mayne OP t1_itr8pkq wrote

I am making it into an office so want it to at least be presentable. I think your idea would work though, I might give it a shot and see how it would look, hopefully looking down on it from the top won't look too strange with it being 1/2" thick baseboard.

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blind-panic t1_itr9mi0 wrote

Another alternative is to feather it up the wall but that gap is huge for that, there is a method where you define a plane you want using drywall screws and fill with mud until its flush. Though again, this seems like a ton of work and might end up looking quite odd given its a big gap. Finally, you could put furniture there or even add some built in shelving to cover the issue.

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blind-panic t1_itra1fl wrote

final idea, use two sheets of 1/4" drywall to fill the gap all the way up so you'll just have super thick drywall there. This way you have a clean finish and you won't have to tear out the old drywall

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jaxpaboo t1_itr7p8c wrote

If it was be, I would consider just pushing the baseboard in to make contact with the drywall? I don't think it matters that the baseboard is 'straight'... especially in garage.

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football_mayne OP t1_itr89tc wrote

Since the concrete lip is there, I don't think that is really possible. I can push it a little but then it pops up at the bottom near the tile.

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ScratchMorton t1_itsoeay wrote

Build it out flush with the baseboard. You could also add something like bead board paneling and drop that down on top of the base and have it chair rail height or higher.

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[deleted] t1_itt50l7 wrote

What's the baseboard material made of ? How long is the full length U are trying to install ?

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football_mayne OP t1_itt68yc wrote

I haven't chosen them yet, but probably mdf. It's about 75 linear feet. Only about 8-9 ft of recessed drywall though.

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[deleted] t1_itt6ihp wrote

MDF will flex inward and potentially downward when you seek to fix it.

Is 20ft the largest length U can get ?

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iamthemoose t1_itvd0ii wrote

That happened because the concrete curb was wider than the wall at those points, or because the whole curb was slightly oversized and whoever built the garage didn't want to make a 1/2" adjustment to make the outside walls sit flush with the exterior curb. I bet where the wall is flush on the inside of the garage either attaches to the house or has some funky siding issues outside.

That's something you needed to address before insulating/drywalling - as it is all you can really do is scribe out some filler and put that in behind the baseboard. It will look weird.

Consider some built-ins for that wall instead. Cabinets, etc, will hide that.

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lollroller t1_ituxsl0 wrote

Can you just use a taller baseboard?

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