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susanwrites_gw

Help? How to trim fireplace gap after floor install? Pics

susanwrites
13 years ago

So due to the uneven and old slab floor in this room there is a gap in front of the fireplace after they put down the wood floor. We're trying to figure out how to fill it.

Here's the gap.

Should we fill with grout (in the right color)?

Fill with a piece of the wide wood, transition?

Or fill with quarter round wood?

If you've had to address such an issue and have a picture, I'd love to see it. Thanks!

Comments (19)

  • teacats
    13 years ago

    A vote for the quarter round !

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks, Jan. That's where I think I'm leaning, too. Hopefully it won't look too funny since we're not using quarter round anyplace else. (We were going to use it under the kitchen cabinets but we ended up replacing all the kickboard and we don't need it anymore.)

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well floor guy just rubbed in the grout and it looks much better so I think I'm going to go look for a better color match and try that before we add a molding.

  • dianalo
    13 years ago

    I am still voting for the quarter round.

  • stolenidentity
    13 years ago

    How about the quarter round in white?!?

  • Laurie
    13 years ago

    Pretty flooring and wall color : )

    We will be dealing with this issue when we put wood in our LR.
    I saved a post (linked below) from flooring and I'll save yours as well.

    How big is the gap? Can you post a close up picture(s))?

    -Laurie

    Here is a link that might be useful: A post from the Flooring Forum

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions so far.

    Laurie, I read that post you shared this morning and think it would have been good for me to read it before the floor went down so we could have tried to have the tile cut. Oh well. :( The floor is in now and all we can do is deal with the after. So many things I've learned in the reno project.

    There are pictures at the top of the post. The first one shows the small gap. It's easier to see, I think, in the second picture where they put a little of the almond colored grout in it but hadn't rubbed it in yet. Because it's not a huge gap and it's not uniform, I'm thinking if I can get a good grout color match that would be enough.

  • dawnbc
    13 years ago

    Any grout between the tile and floor would eventually crack. Unless you can get a caulk that's the right colour, I would go with quarter round.

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Whoops, Dawn, I mispoke. I went over and looked at what he used and it was caulking, not grout. That DAP ready-to-use stuff.

    I'm still pondering. Thinking about putting the caulking on it and then, if I don't like it, then I can put the quarter round on it. I might feel better about the quarter round if I could find some pictures of something similar but I haven't been able to do so yet.

  • terezosa / terriks
    13 years ago

    You can get caulk that is color matched to the grout that was used.

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    terriks - that's what I am going to try to do, look for a matching caulk. I'm just going to go buy a selection and bring them home and hope something works.

  • nanny2a
    13 years ago

    You might try something like this, especially since you don't have quarter round anywhere else in your house. This type of trim out looks a bit more attractive than the usual quarter round, I think. Our flooring installer did this, it's oak trim that we stained as well as we could to match the wood flooring.

  • cliff_and_joann
    13 years ago

    I'm with nanny on this, her's looks great.
    Cut a wide molding from the flooring, and have your contractor install it.
    The back of the flooring has to be run through a planer
    and the teeth on the side of the flooring have to be trimmed as well.

  • nanny2a
    13 years ago

    The molding fits around the brick like a picture frame, if that helps.

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks, Nanny. That's sorta like the other molding the floor guys had here. I'll try to lay it out and get a better picture. I'd just as soon have the guys who put the floor in finish this off if there is wood involved because this is woven strand bamboo and if you don't have the right tools, it's hard to work with. It's HARD hard. :)

  • cliff_and_joann
    13 years ago

    Here's a pic of our daughters living room fireplace,
    the wood trim surround was cut from the flooring wood.

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Okay, I took a couple more close-ups of the two moldings that we have here that are of the same bamboo as the floor. It sorta looks like the second one could be done the same way that nana2 did hers. What do you think? It's tapered so the fat part could go against the tile and the slope down to the floor.

  • kitchenkelly
    13 years ago

    I am not a fan of quarter round (too round even though it is only a quarter round :-o) I wanted to avoid it in my remodel so my contractor cut down pieces of left over wood for areas that I needed it (like in front of doors an around my peninsula in the kitchen.)

  • susanwrites
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    kitchenkelly (and everyone else) should I have them maybe cut that tapered trim (I don't know what it's called) maybe in half and then do it picture frame style? I sorta need to make up my mind by tomorrow morning when they come to finish things off. I like the tapered edge, not so fat as the quarterround, so maybe that's the way to go.

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