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anny_2009

Gaps between floor & baseboard

anny-2009
14 years ago

Hi,

I just had hardwood flooring installed. However when I installed baseboard, I discovered that there are some gaps between floor & baseboard. What can I do to fill the gap? Caulking? I don't like to install shoe molding.

thanks

Annie

Comments (7)

  • User
    14 years ago

    Are the gaps between the base molding and the flooring, or are the gaps because the base molding does not cover the necessary gap between the flooring and the wall?

    Also, is the flooring prefinished? Floating snap/glue together flooring? Or unfinished when installed, sanded and finished in place?

  • alphonse
    14 years ago

    Scribe the baseboard from the floor, use a plane, spokeshave, or other suitable tool to remove the variations. A bevel toward the wall side can ease getting to the contact line.
    If you have flimsy, not too wide base, it can be sprung and nailed.

  • mike_kaiser_gw
    14 years ago

    What kind of gap? A "vertical" gap -- between the bottom of the baseboard and the top of the flooring. Or a "horizontal" gap -- between the side of the baseboard and the edge of the flooring?

    There needs to be room for expansion of the wood. If your flooring runs under the baseboard and the gap is "vertical" then you need to rehang the baseboard moulding, scribing as necessary. If the gap is horizontal, then the typical approach is to cover it with base shoe.

  • anny-2009
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    This is an on-site hardwood flooring. My contractor didn't do his work well when sanding so the floor is not equally flat. The floor goes under the baseboard.1/8" to 1/4" gaps are between the bottom of the baseboard and the top of the flooring.
    Mike, What do you mean when saying rehang the base board?

  • bill_g_web
    14 years ago

    Without a photo it's hard to say what to do, though alphonse's response is likely the correct one, if the unevenness isn't too bad.

    If the sand job is very bad though, you might try to get the guy back there to re-do it. I can imagine the unevenness to be so severe or abrupt that a well scribed basebord will just excentuate it.

    Try to Google "scribing wood trim" for an explanation; hopefully you'll also read about alphose's hint to bevel the edge to cut first. Scribing isn't a beginner skill, but it's not too difficult.

    Bill

  • alphonse
    14 years ago

    "My contractor didn't do his work well when sanding so the floor is not equally flat. "

    Unless the floor was laid on TJI's or the like, stick framing is the likely culprit- lots of variation with grain direction and shrinking/drying, as well as possible installation error.

  • worthy
    14 years ago

    Even on new homes with factory-finished flooring, I end up using 1/8th round moulding. Only when the baseboard was stained oak on a stained oak floor could I forgo the moulding.

    Depending on the colour contrast between the floor and baseboard, scribing may only highlight the variation.