I strongly disagree with the majority , for installing white shoe molding ..
I do belive and that is what 99% of my customers want , the same species of shoe molding as the flooring ..or the same stain as the flooring has been stained ...
I do know that some contractors in order to save few bucks will use the cheapest molding and paint it white ...

I know that feeling all too well Rbose

Thanks for all your great advice. I think I'm a pretty good trim painter, but the back and knees...well, they don't work so well anymore.

I give people whatever they want. Most all want the stained look. My pricing is the same per lft for either one. Painted base shoe sometimes needs two coats and also should be caulked in and touched up.

We used to be a stained wood family. But, since I've owned our second house, we prefer the look of painted trim. So, nowadays, our shoe, base and door/window frames are all done in a linen-white color. It sets off the BC floors very nicely. It's a crisp defined look.

I wonder if preferences are regional. It seems most of the houses I've ever seen in this area have the painted trim.

Easy way to think of the difference between quarter round and shoe is that quarter round is a quarter of a circle and shoe is the quarter of a oval (egg shape). They both come in many different sizes, 3/8" 1/2" 3/4" and so on.

When caulking, don't ever caulk the trim to the floor, the trim won't move, the floor will. Came back to a house we installed a couple years ago where the homer insisted that the painter fill the gaps between the base and the floor with caulking. (why they didnt' use shoe/quarter round or have a skilled trim carpenter scribe the base is beyond me). But now in there $2 million dollar home on about 2,000 sq ft of Ipe and 3 stair ways in the house they have this too look at.

This has been a fascinating read.

Question: Have any of you tried more fancy combinations of moldings with conventional colonial baseboard?

I was wondering how a 7/16" x 3/4" Sidelight Stop, a Base Cap, a Cove, or even a small Crown would look.

The crown in our living area is a combination of base and crown that is absolutely stunning.

Thanks for the input!