Good day, I am building a new house and I am looking for some advice. For window trim and baseboards I am installing mdf and I plan to install both the window trim and baseboards prior to installation of the floor. I say that because I am planning to HVLP spray the window trim and baseboards, and I thought it would be better to spray the baseboards before the floor is installed.

I am installing engineered hardwood (already bought) and I was thinking to glue down the floor. I thought this would be best since this is a vacation property and the year round indoor temperatures will vary from about 55F to 80F. Couple questions:

1. Do you agree that glue down of the engineered hardwood is the best approach?
2. Can I install the hardwood after the baseboards are installed? I thought of installing the baseboards after the flooring but it would make the painting of the baseboards difficult (hard to properly tape the floor). I am looking for the best overall method.

Thanks and I really appreciate your advice.

Ed

If you like the look of quarter round or base shoe then go ahead. I have people spray the base and trim first, then it's only a simple matter of touching up after install. That goes for the door casing trim as well, less undercutting and ease of installation.

Do you agree that glue down of the engineered hardwood is the best approach?

Baseboards with be 7.5" x 1" mdf without quarter round. I was thinking to install them first then spray them, then install the flooring. Will that work well or am I better off installing the floor first, then the baseboards, then tape the floor, then spray?

Id say set up some sawhorses and spray that b4 its installed then touch up what ever is needed. I like to install the floor then the trim on top of the floor. keeps the base the original height and you can get by without the shoe.

Gluing is a good idea if your using a quality glue. My personal preference is with moisture cure adhesives. No matter what you do your going to have movement on the wood not because of the temperature difference but because of ambient moisture changes. If your not running a humidifier/dehumidifier year round your moisture levels are going to go up and and down, causing the wood to expand and contract. Little side note here, engineered moves less than solid but it expands in all directions as opposed to the primarily side to side expansion of solid. For that reason you have to leave an expansion gap on all the walls not just the side walls. So, it is best to install the floor first allowing you to easily put in a quarter to half inch expansion gap on all walls. Then do what KevinD suggested, spray it on some saw horses, install it, and touch it up. You'll also be able to scribe the base if you have any major irregularities in the floor that way you can get it to sit down tight and avoid having to use shoe. I must add that you should not have major irregularities in the floor. If you are gluing, particularly with a moisture cure adhesive, you should spend some time to make sure the floor is flat. If it is not, you will get hollow spots and board movement. The golden rule for moisture cure as told to me by a tech rep for a glue manufacturer "Touchy, Touchy, Sticky, Sticky." If it doesn't touch it can't stick. If you do have a place you can't work out with leveling compound you do have the option of either sand bags or 5 gallon water buckets (with lids) to hold the floor down overnight until the glue sets. We use water buckets because they are easy to transport and I don't like the idea of introducing sand to any hardwood install.

Or just roll the floor like your supposed to with a 100lb roller like most adhesive manufacturers recommend. Check with your adhesive manufacturer's installation requirements.

Rolling the floor wont do anything if the subfloor is not level enough. The glue is still wet and will pull away. The glue down products always say start with a clean, flat subfloor, I know that never happens but that is best. You dont want to fill voids with glue, I guess you can get away with it hear or there but should not depend on it. Rollers are best for lino.