I've been putting up a lot of trim lately (baseboards, quarter-round, chair rail, crown moulding, etc). The problem I'm having is getting precise measurements that each piece should be cut to.
I'm using a 25' tape measure to determine the length of trim, but going from an inside corner to inside corner requires a "bunching" of the tape measure at one end…and that last quarter of an inch or so is just guesswork.
This has been leading to a lot of trips back and forth to the miter saw as I cut a piece long and then consecutively shave off fractions of an inch to get it right. This is compounded by the fact that I have to do the same thing with the mitered mates at either end.
So, my question is about the best method to measure between two inside corners for the purpose of cutting mitered trim.
Note that I'm not having a problem actually cutting the length accurately. I've gotten pretty good at using the miter saw to make a cut where I want. It's just that the lengths that I think I want aren't always turning out so correct.
Best Answer
Measure in a foot or so from one inside corner and make a mark. Then measure from the opposite corner to your mark. Add the two measurements together for the full length.
Note that this process is shown with pictures over on the blog.