How do you place ribbon on the base of the cakes(especially stacked) cakes?

i have done this only twice and it has come out nice but I want to place it on the cake where I wont get any buckling and the ribbon fits snuggly to the top and the bottom of the cake. I can get it snuggly fit to the bottom but the top does not touch the cake by 2 smidgets (if that were a word).

also, My next cake is a stack (5 tiers) ...would the ribbon go on before or after stacking?

Put the ribbon on after you stack that way it is flush with the tier below it. I have used double sided tape to fasten the ends. I have also heard others use icing, royal icing and pins. Hope this helps!

I use 2-sided tape to hold wax paper on the back of my ribbon. This prevents any bleeding through from the icing. Also make sure your cake boards aren't any larger (even a little bit) than your cake or it will be more difficult to get the ribbon to fit tight without buckling. I always put my ribbon on after stacking. The ribbon is also easier to handle if you measure it around the cake pans ahead of time.
Hope this helps.

Exactly what Gale said! Although depends on the ribbon - you may or may not need the wax paper backing. If you use crusting BC, less of a chance. Also, it helps to pre-measure and cut your ribbon but if you use the pans as a guide, remember to allow extra for the thickness of the icing and also overlap.

awolf,
Thanks for watching my back. I forgot about the overlap; I just do it automatically.

If you have a gap at the top of the ribbon, it just means your icing on the sides of the cake isn't exactly 90 degrees straight up and down. If your cardboard extends past the cake ever so slightly, and you iced the cake side "even" with the cardboard, you probably still have a slight slope (like a subtle ski slope). this can cause the gap.

I use a bench scraper to smooth the sides. You can set the bench scraper on it's side right on your turntable, with the long part against the side of the cake. If your cardboard extends slightly, the scraper should be touching the edge of the board and not the actual base of the cake.

If there is a gap between the cake and the scraper, then you need to add more icing. When you have enough icing on there, position the bench scraper and give the turntable a whirl. YOur sides should be exactly 90 degrees and perfectly straight, which should help with the gap.