ha, I think you underestimate yourself! You absolutely can nail some finishing nails through trim, I think most people could find that pretty easy once shown how to.

Maybe cutting the trim would be tricky, you have to get the angles right so the two pieces fit together well in that corner (two 45 degree angles cuts on the trim meeting at a 90 degree corner), and it can be awkward getting them flush. That’s the part that makes me nervous, tbh.

Honestly, this is the whole process:

• use tape measure to verify length of trim I need
• buy the quarter round from the store, usually a little longer than I will need
• double check lengths with tape measure, and mark that length on the trim
• draw a 45 degree guide line (just draw the orthogonal line like you were going to cut the trim short, then estimate the 45 as half of that), and use a hand saw and miter box to cut a 45 degree angle on the trim at the needed length
• place the trim and verify they fit together, you might have to sand or use some other method to take off slightly more material so the pieces fit together (sometimes people say to cut a 46 degree angle instead, just taking a tiny extra material off - you caulk between them anyway, and this is a basement so it doesn’t need to be pretty or perfect).
• take the finishing nails and aim them roughly so they will go into the baseboard, holding the nail with your hands, use a hammer to lightly get the nail started in the right direction, then as it sinks in a little, you can increase the force with the hammer and start to remove your fingers as a guide
• take a thin punch tool and with a hammer, sink the nail head into the trim, so it’s indented now and the nail is not flush
• do another nail every 6 - 12 inches (every 15 - 30 cm), I just estimate the length with various body parts, but you can use a measuring tape to get a sense of the distance for the first few nails
• with the concrete side, I used “liquid nails” or “construction adhesive” in a caulking “gun”, spreading it on the trim and then putting the trim up against the baseboard, then partially drive finishing nails into the trim to hold it to the baseboard while the glue dries

That was pretty much it! I think any able-bodied person could reasonably do this, though it’s a lot of bending over and so on (so it’s an endurance issue, it helps if you keep the body in shape, esp. core strength - but we all vary on this). I taught myself how to do all of it from watching youtube videos.

I certainly don’t feel proud of myself, but you are so nice and I love your perspective, maybe I should feel proud of myself! I certainly feel some relief that I am making progress, this project has been looming over my head for years now.

Regarding reglueing the baseboards: I think it won’t be too hard to stick the construction adhesive in the crack between the baseboard and the concrete wall, the hard part I haven’t really figured out yet is how to create tension against the baseboard so while the glue is curing the baseboard is held flush, pressed against the wall … The way I figured out how to do it last time was by taking a few lengths of scrap wood I had laying around (I think they were part of a palette at one point?) and I laid them one after the other on the ground, then used wood shims to make up the rest of the length from the baseboard to the opposite wall, which finally was enough to cause the whole thing to create tension and pressure up against the baseboard …

but there are a few snags with that plan now: the quarter round creates a rounded edge that makes it harder to properly apply pressure to, and I sorta need the pressure most at the top of the baseboard 🤔 So I haven’t figured that out yet. Most of the advice for how to solve this problem starts with things I don’t want to do, namely buying or borrowing an expensive tool to drill through the concrete and lay essentially an anchor that I can then sink a nail or screw into, and use that to fasten the baseboard. I mean, if that was an option, I wouldn’t need to glue the damn thing in the first place.

Anyway, thanks for reading my ridiculous updates, haha - the drama continues 😄