DO YOU WONDER HOW TO PERFECTLY FINISH OFF YOUR NEW LAMINATE OR WOOD FLOORS? I GO OVER HOW TO INSTALL SHOE OR QUARTER-ROUND MOLDING IN THIS POST TO COVER GAPS BETWEEN YOUR BASEBOARD AND FLOORING. Additionally, I TEACH YOU THE HIDDEN TECHNIQUE FOR FINISHING EXPOSED ENDS AND FILLING NAIL HOLES!
What is the best approach to conceal the space between my baseboards and floor? is certainly a question you’ve asked yourself if you’ve ever had new flooring done in your home. My friends, quarter round molding is the solution (or shoe molding if you prefer–more on that distinction shortly). Your floors will look so polished and professional thanks to quarter round molding, which is cheap, simple to install, and straightforward to use. Every time we finished putting our preferred laminate floors in our master bedroom, hallway, and the downstairs of our home, we installed quarter round molding ourselves. (I discuss our decision to go with laminate flooring in those postings, but you can also read this post about the benefits and drawbacks of various flooring kinds.) And while installing new flooring has a MASSIVE impact on any home, I can assure you that it won’t look stunning until the quarter round is put in. A tiny thing can have a significant impact.
We had a lot of quarter round molding to install since we had finished a significant kitchen renovation and placed new flooring in our dining room, hallway, and foyer. So I made the decision to take pictures this time so we could show you how to install it yourself step-by-step!
We appreciate Mohawk Consumer Products’ sponsorship of this article. I have been happy to work with Mohawk for years since I adore their goods!
WHAT DEFINES A SHOE MOLDING FROM A QUARTER ROUND? I used to believe that shoe molding and quarter round were interchangeable terms. However, they aren’t! Shoe molding is 1/8″ in diameter. Or to put it another way, it is an eighth of a round dowel. Quarter round is significantly larger than shoe molding since it is 1/4′′ round.
In the lumber area of home improvement stores, both types of molding are carried in extremely lengthy lengths. Although you can link shorter pieces if you must, the large lengths are important so that you can use whole sections to cover the majority of your walls. Due to their extreme flexibility, they can quickly adapt to any little inclinations or dips in your floor (no floor is perfectly level).
Due to its size and ability to fill wider gaps, quarter round has long been our preferred option. Due to the massive areas of laminate flooring we installed, we needed plenty of spaces (you have to leave certain sized gaps depending on how long your run of flooring is).
Having stated that, pick the molding of your choice. Both methods of molding can be used with the exact same tutorial in this post:)
WHAT ABOUT RETURNS AND CORNERS? Many individuals are put off by the fact that corners and returns (the uncovered ends of the trim) are involved. But it’s not difficult, I assure you! In this article, we’ll show you how to cope with corners. We also demonstrate for you how to neatly finish off any exposed ends without having to cut tiny return pieces!
A NOTE ON COPER… The term “copped corner” is not universally known, despite the fact that most people are aware with miter joints.
One molding in an coped corner butts up against the wall and has a straight cut on one end. A coped cut on the molding that joins it in the corner fits neatly up against the face of the first molding.
Even in rooms where the walls are not completely square, a coped corner fits snugly (which is pretty much every room that has ever been built). Not the case with mitered joints, though! We therefore favor coping. Even though it appears somewhat frightening, we also believe it to be simpler.
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A step-by-step tutorial on how to install quarter round molding is available here: Coping saw Patchal Putty Mohawk Pro-Mark Wood Touch-up Marker ) INSTALLATION STEPS: Prefinish your molding as the first step.
You should complete your quarter round molding by painting or staining it before even considering installation. We have both painted and stained quarter round in our home. Absolutely, certainly, I advise staining the quarter round to match your floors. Why? No matter how careful and clean you are, painted molding eventually becomes chipped and grimy. Every year, stained molding appears to be completely new.
About 50% of people were shocked when I revealed on my Instagram stories that we had stained our quarter round and wondered why we hadn’t painted them. But as I pointed out that stained quarter round endures better over time, they said, “YES! It looks awful, my painted quarter round molding.”
One benefit of painting your quarter round is that it may heighten and bolster the appearance of your baseboard trim. However, we stain ours since we’d prefer to avoid chips and grime.
Measure and mark in step two.
One item at a time is what you want to measure and mark. On the quarter round molding, mark the length, and then cut straight through with your miter saw. Install the first piece such that the corner is tucked up against the straight end cut. Indeed, we are not mitering. The straight edge fits perfectly into the corner since we are coping.
Your next piece, which will overlap your previous piece in the corner, should be measured and marked. Once more, you gauge the wall’s whole length. On the quarter round molding, mark the length, and then cut straight through with your miter saw.
3. Deal with the inside corner.
Then, where the end of the molding will connect to the first piece you inserted in the corner, cope the end with your coping saw.
If you’ve never dealt with stress before, I PROMISE it’s simple. The video down below is a great place to start.
Dry fit both pieces in step four. To ensure that the lengths are accurate and you have a flawless fit, now is the time to arrange both pieces that meet in the corner.
NAIL THE FIRST TWO PIECES IN PLACE IN STEP 5. Use your brad nailer to nail them into place after the fit is ideal. Hold your quarter-round trim tightly to the floor while firing your nailer with the handle slightly inclined downward. Make sure to always include nails towards each end and space your nails around 18 inches apart.
Step 6: Keep moving around the space. One piece at a time, keep measuring, cutting, and nailing trim pieces throughout the room. You’ll deal with every crevice inside. Apply an miter joint for any outside corners .
Step 7: Complete the exposed ends. To finish off their molding where it ends without rounding another corner, many people cut “returns.” But because the parts are frequently tiny, it can be somewhat challenging.
We merely decide to neatly finish our exposed ends. Joe invented this approach many years ago. Although I call it “the Joe special” around here, we have no idea what to label it. “This section needs to be 4 inches long with the Joe special at the end,” for example. I am not joking.
The top of the quarter round is cut straight, while the end is chopped at an angle to form the Joe Special. This is how it seems.
I use my Mohawk Pro-Mark Wood Touch-up Marker to stain the exposed ends after we nail the parts with exposed ends into place. While it still produces a polished finish, cutting small return pieces is significantly more difficult.
Filling nail holes is step eight. Filling the nail holes and any other flaws in your quarter round is the final step. We utilize Patchal Putty that is pre-colored to match our stain because we stain our own, which makes this step really quick and simple. I just apply it with my finger.
That’s all, everyone! Although it seems like there are many steps, they go by so quickly! In just one afternoon, we finished installing the quarter round molding in our kitchen, dining room, hallway, and entryway!
Now, the first level of our home has the same kind of carpet throughout. It’s also GORGEOUS! Here are some pictures of our kitchen and dining area after we had the quarter round installed.
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