Work in a ventilated area and keep other people away until you're done. Base shoe is slightly thinner and has a flat face at the bottom. Wait a few years. For another, take a close look at the nail holes on the quarter round, there is simply no good or simple way to anchor through a curved surface. God Bless. Set the miter saw angle to zero degrees and line the trim piece up to the saws fence to cut. Personally coming from a construction family, I like it with out but, it's a personal preference. Today it is done as a norm because the drywall trade has the baseboard molding in his contract (why in the world that is so baffles me to no end), the flooring trade is often the last one to come in (so other trades don't damage his installation) and now there is a gap between the baseboard trim and the hardwood floor. It looks finished. Powder room is done so I have an example of both, plus a picture of baseboards original to house. Cut the trim square if it butts into a casing. I think it looks better with the quarter round. If one doesn't care, that says something, doesn't it? V-cap? unlocking this expert answer. Only use it when necessary. Use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the nails, a. Except on outside corners and scarf joints, avoid using glue to install quarter round. They can be painted or stained to form a stylish border around any room. These pieces should cover the gap between the surface of the floor and its adjoining walls. I say yes to quarter round. Most of what we see is quarter round with the baseboard trim, that is why we think it's a finished look. Complete the installation by firing a nail directly through the joint and into the baseboard and wiping away excess glue. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. 1/8" (3 mm), and check if they fit. I just added the smallest quarter round available to my baseboards. - we could certainly use your help on our 1880's era Victorian so many jobs left to do. Again, cut the piece slightly too long and creep up on the final cut length. If beauty isn't objectively and commonly recognized, good-looking people won't monopolize our screens, Apple won't be the richest corporation in the world. I think it is fresher looking without the quarter round. This was why when I walked into the library at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, I was floored and went through the building photographing every single detail, same at my hotel room at Grand Elysee in Hamburg, Germany. I think it dresses it up & finishes off the look. From here, you can temporarily install the molding by spreading a thin bead of caulk along the back, and setting it in place. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.the-floorman.com/Portals/102019/images/quarterround-300x231.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.the-floorman.com/blog/bid/99788/Hardwood-Flooring-Installation-What-Are-Moldings&usg=__D8su8cBCq_MkCfx4uN9CyL-tBvU=&h=231&w=300&sz=13&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=8yusdBLjkuveVM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=116&ei=avdIUJhEiciLApvagIgG&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquarter%2Bround%2Bon%2Bwood%2Bfloor%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1. Makes it look like you've just laid new laminate flooring to a UK eye and detracts from the beauty of the renovation. Actually, I believe there is a rather simple way out of it. Fill these spaces in with some caulk. But, the old houses in this area sometimes have floors which are considerably variable in level. Using construction adhesive will allow you to use very few nails. Set the force level to drive the nails slightly below the surface, so you can fill the holes with caulk or wood putty. quarter round looks like an add on or poor planning. Quarter round ends up looking like an ADD ON - Since the baseboard has already been installed AFTER the wood flooring I wouldn't add it. Are you missing an opportunity to enhance your home with brackets, cabinet feet and moldings? Take a wall section and run 3/4" piece of 3m Blue Clean line tape (Green Writing) on the floor close to the face of the baseboard, make sure to seal tight. They can be rented at tool rental shops. There are many different types of staining products available. Mark it with a pencil to create guidelines. I would tear out the baseboard first and reinstall it after the tile is put in. Amen! Quickly beautify any room with this handy piece of trim. In other words, creep up on the measurement. You may also see quarter round made from synthetic material like plastic. The ONLY reasons qr is ever needed is if the baseboard is thin, like 1/4 or 3/8, then the floor does not have sufficient room for expansion and contraction with the seasons, or if the floor is not quite level, or if the installer made some cuts a bit too short. If you don't have a miter saw, use a hand saw, holding the molding in place with a miter box. Expectations often need to be adjusted if the "want" doesn't match the budget. After making the first cut, turn the blade around to the 45 mark on the opposite side of the saw's base, then cut the second quarter round. This is also why you are not sure whether you like it or not. But for now and the quarter round issue, do you have a problem with the color matching the new trim. I vote no on q round but have to acknowledge practical concerns from the yes vote side of the issue. This article was co-authored by Abraham Schwartz. These guide the saw to make a perfect 45 angle. Make sure yours is speaking the right language by understanding the 5 basic styles, Customize your kitchen cabinets the affordable way with crown, edge or other kinds of molding, Pair your wood trim and cabinets with the right shade of wall paint to bring out the beauty in both. The cost to install quarter round as a DIY project ranges between $1 to $1.60 per linear foot for material, significantly less than the cost of installing entire baseboards. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 96,532 times. We have applied to slab on grade floors as well as floor joist systems. For stained or prefinished quarter round, use a small amount of appropriately colored wood fill on your finger to rub into each nail hole. When I see quarter round on a base I think less than perfect finish work. I personally like the look without the shoe molding myself, but it is not my home and I am sharing common practice in our area only for the original poster's benefit. Thanks for the input - we need to let the contractor know by tomorrow. Traditionally, molding or trim is a practical way to conceal a construction joint between 2 surfaces that meet at 90-degree angle. Statistics is never adequate to settle questions of aesthetics or convention. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? A local carpenter or a baseboard installer near you can certainly help. Our vote is for the quarter round! Choose a colored putty that matches the color of the quarter round, especially if you don't plan on painting or staining them afterwards. Contemporary design provides minimalist alternatives to the common intersection of floor and wall, Trim speaks worlds about your home's style. if possible go without unless you need to cover large gaps due to inferior installation without scribing. And while it performs an important job, in some cases quarter round is optional. No quarter round or shoe molding as some people call it. Visit the Solution Center to Explore Articles. Polishes it up! For other types of saws and miter boxes, cut the quarter round pieces by hand. whether it is shoe molding (cove) or quarter roundthey are only used if there are gaps. Acrylic-latex paints are usually the best choice for quarter rounds. This isn't too hard, so don't worry about using shorter pieces if you need to. Therein lies the difference between loving truth and beauty, vs thinking of oneself as the arbitrator of truth & beauty. Prior to starting Fixin To Do, Abraham worked for over 10 years as a handyman for third party services and had a lifetime of learning how to improve houses. I think it looks finished with the quarter round. (Sorry about the long sermon, I trust it finds you happy and content in your beautiful dwelling.). Support several pieces of quarter round on sawhorses, workbench, or another sturdy surface. Some like it without it and that is fine also if you can get away without it but for some reason, it always looks like something is missing. Err on the side of being too long rather than too short. If the work, craft, art is done with excellence, as it should be, one may say, "I don't like the way it looks and I wouldn't have done it if it were my kitchen, but boy, is it intelligently designed, expertly executed and magnificent beyond words. How to Defrost a Samsung Ice Maker: A Quick Guide, Homemade Dawn Powerwash: Easy Recipe for Refills. Also, baseboard on its own is not as vulnerable to vacuum and shoe scuffs as is the additional molding. You may need to paint caulk and wood putty after the installation. Cut off thin slices until they fit tightly. Developed to perfectly match our Water Resistant Spillguard range of laminate, Smart Home Products Laminate trim is the ideal solution for concealing the required expansion gaps around your floor. Measure the length of the walls along the baseboard to determine the longest wall. It does look a bit cleaner looking without it I think. To join quarter round pieces on a long wall, simply make 45 cuts like you would for a corner. Usually, there is a trim/molding around the door or a cased opening. My vote is for no quarter round. Shoe molding and quarter round are not the same, and there is a difference in appearance. I asked my husband why none of the new baseboards had quarter round molding -- thought carpenter forgot -- and he commented if the floors are level you don't need itits more to hide uneven floors and gaps. Even if you didn't make the perfect cuts when joining pieces together, a little bit of caulk can make your quarter rounds look professional. (If you purchase pre-finished quarter round, you can skip this step.). Youll use 45-degree cuts for making corners and scarf joints. Shoe molding is very useful in an older home with uneven floors. Please sign inor create an accountto use Project Lists. Now, what happens when that quarter round which protrudes from the vertical face of the 6" or 8" base molding hits the opening's vertical trim? My father is a contractor & does detailed trim work. I knew I was beholding intelligent design, experiencing the creation of an incredibly glorious being, like how you feel when you listen to Bach or Tchaikovsky. If it were a newer house, 1950 and after I would say go ahead leave it off. Both classists (and modernists), yet their styles are as different as night and day, with whom internal construction logic and external beauty are never divorced. For corners that dont measure exactly 90-degrees, make a butt cut in the first piece of quarter round and install it in the corner with the butt end hidden against the opposing baseboard corner. Demystify trim terms and finish off your kitchen and bath tile in style, Hide imperfections, energize a space, highlight a view and more with a little bit of darkness that goes a long way, Do you really need baseboards? Quarter round's purpose is to cover gaps and flaws, it's not used for architectural detailing. It looks "high end" vs. "white". Caulk isn't dangerous to touch, but remember to wash your hands before touching your mouth or eyes. From a distance it will look like quarter round, but up close you'll see the difference. Useful for adding elegance to your homes trim and hiding unsightly gaps between the floor and wall, quarter round allows room for the floor to expand and contract without exposing its edges. Without. Once you have your materials, its time to start the installation. Appealing to common practice, though a valid reference point, is ultimately futile. Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyboecepR7k&feature=youtu.be&t=59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svkod6oYaEY&feature=youtu.be&t=56, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lIcEptaQ6c&feature=youtu.be&t=12, https://www.finewoodworking.com/2009/04/01/safety-manual-miter-saw, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_AnWWK2rng&feature=youtu.be&t=49, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEOKPAlmzZ8&feature=youtu.be&t=137, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPxWgif_1A&feature=youtu.be&t=69, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGlgDIUrqUg&feature=youtu.be&t=369, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAw4CzBSB5o&feature=youtu.be&t=260, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAw4CzBSB5o&feature=youtu.be&t=289, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVphmVUkDU&feature=youtu.be&t=66, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVphmVUkDU&feature=youtu.be&t=105, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWuV07hwD70&feature=youtu.be&t=60, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAw4CzBSB5o&feature=youtu.be&t=431, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVphmVUkDU&feature=youtu.be&t=144, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TyB5i9ne7g&feature=youtu.be&t=39, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/shoe-molding/. I would usually say never but it does look better with the short base bottom. The craft-based considerations you bring up are thoughtful and well articulated. Cut the other end of the piece of trim also at a 45-degree angle. For some reason the rest of my house (including the very large original baseboards) don't have this type of shoe trim. There are better trims for that. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. This method works only for corners that measure precisely 90-degrees. They are about 12 inches tall. Keep in mind these are a little tougher to use for cutting corners, since you need to carefully cut the wood at the proper angle by hand. Where I have tile and carpet I have no quarter round. Apply wood glue to the meeting edges and set the second piece in place. Continue to cut and install trim until reaching the end of the wall. Ever tried to repaint quarter round? % of people told us that this article helped them. Excuse all the dust. Personal preference, quarter round looks fine with taller more traditional baseboard. Quarter round is the final piece of built-up baseboard trim. How much wall space should there be between cabinet and sink window. In addition, if your wall is longer than the molding available, you will need to join shorter pieces together. Make an appropriate cut on the opposite end from the scarf joint for the second piece. The shoe molding is more flexible to follow the flooring. Theres no need for glue on the inside corners. According to your pics, I tend to use the quarter round. Bamboo floors and matching baseboards/quarter-round. Thus we have arguments based on the function of concealing a gap OR personal preference. Renting a compressor and nail gun for about $45 per day is well worth the investment unless you already own one. With a coping saw or jigsaw, turn the blade away from the angled cut and saw along the leading edge of the profile line. Unless your floors are uneven do to settling over the years then no an the qtr round at Tool Slingers we always run our base as base and even shoe mold but I definitely have had customers that qtr round is just a have to in some of the old civil war homes we remodel and work. Our baseboards (c. 1929) have quarter rounds. Press the molding downward to rest on the floor everywhere, bending it if necessary, and hammer the nails through the pilot holes into the baseboard. A better way is to look at the nature of the detail & construction logic. References. Cut the inside corner of the last piece at a 45 degree angle and continue around the room. As mentioned previously, adding shoe molding serves to hide dips and valleys in the floor that the straight baseboard bottom accentuates. It's a pain in the posterior. Not sure if thats truebut thats his story! thank you for such a thoughtful response. When I see quarter round I see flaws being covered up. I prefer quarter round to match the trim, not the floor. Measure carefully, then reduce the quarter rounds down to size until they fit well together. If you have to work indoors, open nearby doors and windows. Operating saws is dangerous, so always take safety precautions. Cut an opposite 45-degree angle in another piece of trim. Make a coped joint cut in the second piece of the corner and install it with the cut end directly against the profile of the opposing quarter round piece. You may need to remove the trim later to work on the floor, and gluing will make disassembly difficult, if not impossible. To do this, make a 45-degree cut facing towards you on the miter saw. But more likely than not, since rarely is someone truly obsessed with the trivium of Firmatis (durability), Utilitas (functionality) and Venustatis (aesthetics), most likely "what I like or don't like" which is entirely arbitrary like much of modern art or modern music (nonsense), the quarter round is NEVER resolved at such interruptions (because 3-dimensionally that's very difficult to achieve with such a tiny piece of wood), revealing the folly of the situation. Shoot the nails at an angle into the wall frame's bottom plate rather than into the floor. The baseboard is the product that will cover the gap most effectively. Set the piece in place and mark the scarf joint cut with a fine pencil line. Would you add quarter round -- yes or no? Make it look original, don't skimp. But in all reality, quarter round is used to cover up imperfections such as uneven floors, gaps, . Glossy paints are available, but they often make quarter rounds stand out from the walls too much.

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