quarter round floor trim

I trust that with both in your house, you have come to prefer one over the other, for good reason. Its another option. Then, we have to trim the bottom of the baseboard at the high spots in the floor. Along with base trim, which is usually installed first against the wall, quarter-round molding -- also called shoe molding -- covers the gap between tile, vinyl or hardwood floors and the wall to give the floor a finished look. Pity if life & death, good or evil depend on such precariousness! But all joking aside, you nailed it! Place cut quarter rounds on the wall before attaching them to test their fit. 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. Work in a ventilated area and keep other people away until you're done. If a wall is too long for one piece of trim to span the distance, youll need to create a scarf joint to extend the length of the trim work. Wear proper protection, including ear muffs, goggles, and a dust mask. If you plan on painting or staining, consider sanding all of the quarter rounds. There are many different types of staining products available. If you don't have a miter saw, use a hand saw, holding the molding in place with a miter box. I just added the smallest quarter round available to my baseboards. Apply wood glue to the meeting edges and set the second piece in place. It looks like you're trying to hide a mistake :). For instance, consider how you can or CANNOT terminate the quarter-round at an opening in the wall. This can be too much of a gap for quarter round/shoe moulding all by itself. I only use when there is no other option. It doesn't really matter 3 years after your original post, but since there are over 700 threads on "quarter round", I suspect there are tons of people out there agonizing over the same dilemma. Fill in nail holes with stainable or paintable wood putty. There are two truly great American architects whom I admire, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis I. Kahn. Measure to the nearest 1/16-inch when using a tape measure. In the not so biopic but tremendously entertaining film Steve Jobs, an engineer countered Jobs' inquiry as to why the wires are so messy, "But nobody will ever see it!" One reason they didn't use quarter rounds back in 1870's may be because they dind't make them or if they did, why would a carpenter put a molding on a molding if the first one did its job? A butt cut is a cut thats exactly perpendicular to the length of the quarter round. These types of molding are about the same as any basic, white molding but are a little more prone to shattering during installation. Makes it look like you've just laid new laminate flooring to a UK eye and detracts from the beauty of the renovation. Nail the second piece to the wall. 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. This method works only for corners that measure precisely 90-degrees. As background - our house is 1870's with beautiful baseboards without quarter round. When complete, youll have an end that matches the profile of the quarter round. My father is a contractor & does detailed trim work. Personal preference, quarter round looks fine with taller more traditional baseboard. Craftsmen, not being merely tradesmen, who took pride in their work not just trying to save time or increase their profit, and owners seeking magnificence in their homes, elevated it beyond functionality to beauty. I vote no on q round but have to acknowledge practical concerns from the yes vote side of the issue. - we could certainly use your help on our 1880's era Victorian so many jobs left to do. He holds both his TSBPE Plumbing Examiners and Electrical Apprentice (TX) Licenses. Most of the old houses in St. Louis that I work on including my 1890 folk Victorian originally had a shoe or quarter round. So I spoke to the contractor. Continue to cut and install trim until reaching the end of the wall. From a distance it will look like quarter round, but up close you'll see the difference. Comment and photo for the original poster's benefit. Are you missing an opportunity to enhance your home with brackets, cabinet feet and moldings? To join quarter round pieces on a long wall, simply make 45 cuts like you would for a corner. 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. I don't happen to think it makes a difference one way or the other for vacuuming. For a more permanent solution, predrill holes into the baseboard every 12 inches, then hammer thin finishing nails into each hole. V-cap? Quarter round is the final piece of built-up baseboard trim. There are better trims for that. Beauty is organic and has integrity, it's not skin deep like cosmetics, which is mostly about fabricating an image thus vanity, using materials that are harmful to the skin, hair, lips, teeth, eyes. Our vote is for the quarter round! Be especially careful when installing trim over tile. To ensure you get an accurate measurement, place the quarter round on the wall. In addition, if your wall is longer than the molding available, you will need to join shorter pieces together. Personally coming from a construction family, I like it with out but, it's a personal preference. Avoid long-sleeved clothing and jewelry that can get caught in the saw blade. I think it dresses it up & finishes off the look. If you plan on painting over wood quarter rounds, make sure your paint is designed to adhere to wood trim. The larger pieces of quarter round molding are often difficult to transport and maneuver. I would tear out the baseboard first and reinstall it after the tile is put in. Would you add quarter round -- yes or no? He has been published in "The Family Handyman" magazine and has experience as a consultant developing and delivering end-user training. Again, cut the piece slightly too long and creep up on the final cut length. Usually the larger dimension is the height and the smaller the width but it can be installed either way if you're trying to cover a larger gap. It's a pain in the posterior. Cut the inside corner of the last piece at a 45 degree angle and continue around the room. Youll use 45-degree cuts for making corners and scarf joints. Repeat on the other side of the corner and wipe away excess glue with a disposable rag. She molding is typically 3/4" tall by 1/2" thick. In my view, quarter round or no quarter round isn't important, if it's just a matter of personal preference. It looks finished. No quarter round unless you need to cover a gap. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. the look without is better, cleaner, stronger. Choose a colored putty that matches the color of the quarter round, especially if you don't plan on painting or staining them afterwards. Caulk isn't dangerous to touch, but remember to wash your hands before touching your mouth or eyes. 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. Some silicone versions are also designed to be paintable. If you want to install quarter rounds to cover the gaps between your floor and baseboards, first, measure the bottom of each of your walls to determine how much molding you'll need. 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. People do use quarter round because they don't know any different. A hack saw will make neater cuts than saws with large teeth. Push the trim firmly against the wall and nail the trim in place with a finish nail gun. Removing baseboards always involves repainting the walls they are attached tothis is often a job many homeowners choose not to go ahead with. Subjective emotions change, all the time. No quarter round or shoe molding as some people call it. It is very easy, so you can put in more nails. Set the piece in place and mark the scarf joint cut with a fine pencil line. As far as vacuum and mop bumps, you'll get those either way you go if the person cleaning is not careful. If it were a newer house, 1950 and after I would say go ahead leave it off. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Install-Quarter-Round-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Install-Quarter-Round-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Install-Quarter-Round-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid648580-v4-728px-Install-Quarter-Round-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"