Beige wall, clean white baseboard molding and wooden floor. I recently bought around 650sft of laminate floors, to replace around 570sft of carpeted floors in our MN home. These will go in on the main floor, right above an unfinished basement. I'm planning on installing these myself in the next 3 or 4 weeks, and am in the process of getting my act together (I strongly believe that planning is more critical than the actual execution of a project). Being paranoid about doing an excellent job, I'm debating whether to remove and re-install the existing baseboard molding, or leave the baseboard in place and install quarter-round (or shoe, depending on what looks better) molding after the laminate is laid. The laminate floor (with its attached pad) is about as tall as the carpet is now, and adjusting for an 1/8" gap in the vertical dimension, the baseboard will stay at the same height. So, which is better? Don't touch the baseboard, install laminate 1/4" from the baseboard and use quarter-round to cover the gap?

Remove baseboard, install laminate, and put the baseboard back. I'm not averse to doing extra work to make sure this looks as professional as possible. flooring trim baseboard laminate It depends on a couple of things. How much time you want to invest, how your current baseboards are installed, size of current baseboards, and what you want everything to look like. As long as it isn't a HUGE deal to take baseboards out I would almost always go with removing them.Semi Truck Tire Plug Kit Your finish will look better. Upright Car Seat CoversNo quarter round looks way more professional. Sunny Slim Weight LossAlso I hate the process of do you make your quarter round the color of trim or floor - I always vote trim.Quarter round costs money.

So does staining/painting it.If you have the right tools taking your baseboards out is easy. And when you put them back - well they fit. Try to position your tools so that if you gouge the wall it is hidden under the baseboard. This is easy with practice. Who cares if the drywall has some nicks under the baseboard. Cutting your quarter round to fit will take a lot of time. Also what do you do between a set of doors where you need to put in 10 inches of quarter round? Well you will be back on this board asking! Take the baseboards out, freshen them up while you are at it, install floor, pop baseboards back. Touch up paint and caulk where needed. Not taking them out starts the job faster but then after your install there will be quarter round regret (because of point #1). If you remove the baseboard, you risk damaging the walls. Installing the laminate with quarter round will be much easier and won't damage the existing walls. That's the only "better" we can answer. Aesthetically, "better" is wholly subjective.

But I I think it'll look just as good either way, so go with easier and less damaging. Leaving the baseboards in place will be easier, and may look good (depending on your taste). It may even look "professional", depending on which professionals you ask. If you don't mind the extra bit of work, removing the base molding and reinstalling it makes the flooring look original. In my opinion, trim work should be the last thing that's done. Anything on top of trim, just seems out of order. Easy way, Best results: Remove carpet, pad and nailing strips. Measure thickness of new flooring with underlayment, and add 1/16 inch. Take your biscuit joiner, and remove the adjustable front shoe. Extend the blade and tie it back using a tie wrap. Measure the distance from the base plate to the TOP edge of the cutter. Subtract this from the (flooring + underlayment + 1/16") dimension. This is the thickness of the wooden spacer that must be attached to the base plate (use existing holes).

Now starting to the left on a wall, place the biscuit joiner on the sub floor, start and plunge all he way to the fence. -Move the joiner to the right the complete length of wall. For external corners, go right around. For internal corners, you'll need a sharp chisel. You will end up with 7/16" (the thickness of the baseboard) PLUS 1/2"(the thickness of the sheetrock) for clearance for floor expansion. Slide the new flooring under the baseboard by 1/8". Enjoy your professional results.Browse other questions tagged flooring trim baseboard laminate or ask your own question. Strand Woven Bamboo Harvest 3/4 in. Thick x 3/4 in. Wide x 94 in. Length Hardwood Quarter Round Molding Strand Woven Bamboo Harvest 3/8 in. Thick x 1-3/4 in. Thick x 2-3/4 in. Length Hardwood Stair Nose Molding Strand Woven Bamboo Natural Tigerstripe 3/8 in. Red Oak Natural 3/8 in. Length Hardwood Multi-Purpose Reducer Molding Strand Woven Bamboo Brown 3/4 in. Red Oak Natural/Wilston/Raymore Red Oak Natural Solid 3/8 in.

Height x 1-3/4 in. Width x 80 in. Harvest/Gunstock Oak/Oak Wheat Honey 3/8 in. Strand Woven Bamboo Brown 3/8 in. Bamboo Cafe 3/8 in. Hand Scraped Strand Woven Bamboo Harvest 1/2 in. Birch Bordeaux 3/4 in. Wide x 78 in. High Gloss Santos Mahogany 1/2 in. Thick x 3-1/2 in. Width x 78 in. Strand Woven Bamboo Java 3/8 in. Harvest Oak 3/8 in. Length Wood Multi-Purpose Reducer Molding Moroccan Walnut 1/2 in. Strand Woven Bamboo Driftwood 3/8 in. Red Oak 3/4 in. Thick x 3 1/8 in. Length Stair Nose Molding Hand Scraped Strand Woven Bamboo Brown 3/4 in. Bamboo Toast 3/8 in. 2 in. x 3 ft. Oak Carpet TrimCan You Use White Baseboards with Hardwood Floors? Color is part of the decorative aspect of baseboards. Many manufacturers prime various styles of baseboards for painting, and you may paint them any color you want. White baseboards provide a clean contrast to hardwood floors, but the baseboards could be painted red, blue or even hot pink.

Baseboards' type and style are additional considerations. Matching wood baseboards' color to the color of their room's hardwood flooring is an option, but you may want baseboards that visually separate the floor from the walls. Baseboards are available in materials other than wood and in various colors. Plastic baseboards are typically white, and they are flexible and durable. Compared to their wood counterparts, plastic baseboards are easier to install on uneven walls. Wood composite baseboards usually are sold primed for painting and can be painted any color. They are less prone to cracking than natural wood baseboards and are lighter, making them easier to handle. White is a common baseboard color for rooms with flooring that is wood, carpet, ceramic tile or stone tile. Some manufacturers produce white baseboards. Buying primed baseboards and painting them yourself, however, can save money. You could throw convention out the window and paint baseboards green, black or polka-dot.

Natural wood baseboards can be finished in any color to blend with wood floors. Stain or paint some test boards to achieve the desired finish before you complete the entire project. Style is personal, of course, but some guidelines simplify baseboard selection. Ornate, carved baseboards may not work in a modern-style home. Likewise, a simple baseboard with clean lines can look out of place in a traditionally styled home. Size is also a factor. Baseboards can be thin, thick, tall or short. Consider the size of your home relative to the height and thickness of baseboards. Quarter rounds are recommended for wood flooring. They are rounded pieces of trim measuring about three-quarter inch by three-quarter inch. Wood flooring isn't always perfectly smooth, and walls aren't always perfectly straight. Installing quarter round trim on flooring in front of baseboards helps to cover gaps between the baseboards and the flooring. Quarter round can be stained or painted to match the floor or baseboards.