We have successfully installed a 3/4" Birch hardwood floor in our livingroom. We had great fun doing this and are very pleased with the outcome. The original flooring was carpet over 3/4" plywood with a standard baseboard as installed when the house was built in '92. There was no toe-kick molding installed.

We removed all the baseboard and went to the trouble of undercutting all the way around the room so we could install new basebord without a toe-kick for a cleaner look and still leave the recommended room for expansion.

Are there any issues we should be aware of when not using a toe-kick molding? If we install our new baseboard with a cardboard thin gap, will this be enough for expansion?

So, as I understand it, you have undercut your sheetrock in the room with the hardwood. I assume you have undercut it by at least 3/4". So, by doing this, if the flooring was installed flush to the sheetrock walls, you would still have a 1/2" expansion space (typical sheetrocked walls are 1/2"). This is adequate. You don't need to gap the new baseboards. If your floor needs to expand, it will. Just don't nail the base to the floor. The toekick molding you are refering to is called a baseshoe. The only problems you may encounter would be the new baseboards not fitting perfectly flush with the floor because the floor is not perfectly flat. This won't be a problem if you're using smaller baseboards. If you're using tall base, then it may be a problem with gaps under the base. You could put a straight edge along the walls to check first. Good luck.

I assume "toe-kick"moulding is "1/4 round" or "shoe moulding" added extra to baseboard?
If so unless you use it you will probably have varying gaps between the baseboard & flooring after installation as baseboard does not bend and your floor will likely be unlevel. Hence the need for "1/4 round". Incidentally it's the floor that needs expansion gap at the walls - not the baseboard.

I'm probably assuming too much but hope this answers your question.

Art

Thanks - this helps. We undercut the drywall but only by 1/2" (drywall depth) and installed the flooring so we had the full 3/4" gap to the 2x4 plate. This allows us to have a small 1/4" gap between the face of the drywall and our flooring.

I guess we will try to do the baseboard with no "baseshoe" (thank you) and see how it looks - the straight edge is also a good idea.

I had read somewhere to use a heavy paper as a "gap" tool (between floor and baseboard) when installing the baseboard (to the wall), but it sounds like from what you guys are saying I can keep it tight to the floor - correct?

Right

Art

What I have found in my squeak chasing days, is that a baseboard pushed tight agains the hard wood floor or wood subfloor over joist or engineered trusses, Made squeaks sometime when the floor net to it is weighted and the released as when walking next to it Depends how much give is in the floor, and how heavy you are.

Out of curiousity... what is the best way to undercut the drywall all around the room? Drywall saw? Jig/sabre saw with a 1/2" blade? Utility knife?

I assume you'd only want to do the thickness of the floor plus a bit extra for underlayment and such.

In my case, it will be 1/2" floating + underlayment + vapor barrier.


I am in the same situation and I would prefer to only have the baseboard moulding and no shoe/quarter round if I can help it.

I don't think a jig saw or saber saw will work. A sharp utilty knife will work but will be very slow and hard work. The easiest is to use a powered undercutting saw like the Crain Supersaw. A handsaw won't work either. The reason? There is a 2x4 wallplate behind the sheetrock. A circular saw could work if you can get it close enough to the floor and use it sideways. Again, an undercutting saw is your best bet.
http://www.tools4flooring.com/jamb-saws-c-74.html
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... -tools.htm