This is my 3rd topic regarding these new floors we are installing. I guess I am afraid something will go wrong!

I have seen 1/4 round molding sold to go along with whatever flooring one selects. My question is, do you install that and then install your baseboard over it? Or do you choose one or the other? Or are there just certain areas you would use that small molding?

Thanks!

http://www.installingwoodfloors.com/
Has a very good picture that shows how the base boards and shoe molding (quarter round) go together.
Hope that helps make it clearer!

Santaga,

I probably shouldn't chime in here but couldn't resist. IMO quarter round (especially prefinished) should not be used if base has been removed. I see it as primarily a product that floor installers can use so they don't have to hassle with removing baseboard and paint touchup. Problem is with most modern basebaords by the time you add in the floor height increase due to the hardwood and then add the bulky quarter round, the poor baseboard is reduced to a paltry 2 or 3" above the quarter round.

Also, I found it a real PITA to get all of those miters tight and make the nail holes look good on prefinished stain grade. Often you have to cut numerous very small pieces which is either very difficult or dangerous - take your pick. when I do it I always get some chipping on the edges and many times you cannot avoid exposed end grain which is a real no-no in stain grade carpentry. I have seen where pros do an excellent job and I can't even see the nail holes but I'm not up to it.

When I consider both of these factors, I would never use prefinished quarter round if at all possible especially if the base is being replaced or pulled. Either no quarter/shoe or a paint grade shoe molding which is much more elegant than the bulky quarter round. After I install my base above the hardwood, I put some tape on the hardwood floor and just an eighth inch or so up the base. Then you can paint the base without worrying about getting hard to remove paint on the hardwood or cutting in like a painter with 20 years experience. Pre paint your shoe, remove tape (score with a knife if using latex) and install shoe.

Not saying you should do it my way, just giving you one alternative.

Good Luck


Edit - One other tip I have found very useful for assembling small miters etc is the use of Cyanoacrylate glue. As you may or may not know, white/yellow glue takes forever to set up, has no gap filling qualities and requires clamping. The Cyanoacrylate glue bonds in 30 secs and does not require clamping. I find it most useful when I have several small pieces to assemble. I measure very carefully and dry fit it till I get all of the lengths exact and then glue them together on the bench and install as a unit. This way I get perfect joints in fraction of the time and a lot less frustration to boot.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 10&p=42966

We are in the process of getting hardwood flooring installed. My 1st installer suggested to use a quarter round to avoid the expense of base boards replacement. In that case he would not have removed base boards. Things did not work out with that guy for some other reasons.

The 2nd guy rejected the thought of putting a shoe right away and said that he would do it only if we insist. He further added that he would rather absorb the little cost diff between new base boards vs shoe. In his opinion it would ruin the beauty that he would try to bring out esp in the room that he is doing borders and knots.

Anyway, neither one of them suggested to put both.

chirkut123,

I think there are some advantages to a base shoe. I have never sanded an old floor so I don't know all of the procedures but I think that resanding a floor with shoe is a lot easier than w/o.

I would like to hear a pro comment on this but I would think if there is no shoe they either have to do a lot of hand scraping or remove the base since even the edger can only get so close. With a shoe molding they can simply remove the shoe which is relatively easy and non-destructive.

Of course hopefully you won't have to worry about this for a long time.

You'll always get a difference of opinion on this one. It probably gets debated as much as "which first in the kitchen? cabinets or flooring?" I've seen both--shoemolding against the base or base and no shoemolding. Higher end homes($1M plus) seem to go with the no shoe look while the tract home builders will rarely go with base only unless you insist and give them plenty of advanced notice.

One word of advice--some shoe or quarter round looks pretty tacky with low baseboard profiles.

Ken,

Isn't refinishing harder without shoe or quarter? I would imagine you either have to remove the base or do a lot of hand scraping.

A good edger will reach to the edge

As I see it, the main advantage of using baseshoe is when the original baseboards are in place and they are tall (5+"), colonial or victorian style and painted. Any attempt in removing these would result in damaged baseboards or walls. In this case, it would be best to leave them be and install baseshoe after the floors are done. I work with a high end custom home builder who's customers usually prefer taller baseboards. At first, he was resistant to using baseshoe but after his trim carpenters spent umpteen hours trying to scribe 6" baseboards to the floors, he saw the wisdom in using a baseshoe that would conform to the subfloor irregularities. Also, by installing the tall baseboards first (before the floor), the painters were able to spray the taller base and achieve a better looking job in less time. Also, in some very older homes, the baseboards were installed BEFORE the walls were plastered and the plasterers plastered to the baseboards. It wouldn't be very wise to attempt removing those either. Baseshoe has it's function and purpose. It isn't for EVERY flooring situation but there are occasions where it is called for.

Gary:

Great points. Nice to have someone on board that sees not only newer homes but the older ones too. I've worked in a few of the real high end homes where base is not only nailed but glued with some tough Bostiks adhesive. And yes, they were plastered walls too. I recall one where the height of the base was off by some small amount in a hallway--customer rejected it or something like that. Took a trim guy at least a day to remove something like 200 lineal feet.

Granted it wasn't your ordinary home with custom made parquet flooring running at $125 a square foot, a master bedroom closet that ran something like $100K--talk about outdoing the Joneses. I wish I had taken pictures. Oh, and the mechanical room of the home was the size an average house.

Alex:

You're asking the wrong guy. No finishing experience here

$125.00 per sq.ft.! Man, I wish I had some of that action!

Last year I installed crown molding and a chair rail with beadboard around our dining room. Found this book and measuring device at Home Depot. It helped make the project much easier and by far more professional looking. The book has lots of details about planning, measuring, cutting and installing all types of molding - including baseboards. My experience with this project and the excellent book was the primary reason I elected to rip all my molding out before starting the major floor install project that I am now accomplishing. You might still find it at Home Depot but it is also available online at: http://www.compoundmiter.com/