flooring contractor recommendation

[qwerty]

Here is the correct way.

Tall baseboard is installed to touch concrete first then wood floor, tiles or carpet comes next.. If baseboard is added on top of finished flooring then one has to rip out baseboard everytime to accommodate future  fashionable flooring likely to have a different thickness than the current flooring.

Instead of the cheap 1/4 round ghetto shoe a shorter baseboard is added to create a built up expanded baseboard profile. This second baseboard should be thick enough to hide the air gap for contraction and expansion.

Baseboard is a Coach bag solution. If you want an LV solution then go without baseboard.

This is the same thing Tompkins Flooring told us.  I think if you look at the majority of model homes that have tile, the baseboards are done first, then the some grout between the baseboard and tile.  If this was not the right way to do it, i dont think the model homes would be done this way.

 

[ps99472]

Just confirmed with Eric at Venetian, they install baseboards on the hardwood, not on cement. 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

And yes... if you're not replacing your baseboards when installing wood flooring... like IHS suggested, I would ask about additional baseboards instead of quarter rounds.

 

[ps99472]

Venetian guy is "throwing in" 5" baseboards which is much higher then the current 2" in the home.  He will paint them as well after install and run them into rooms he is not putting in hardwood to make the lines continuous (for rooms without door transitions like family room into kitchen/nook).  The kitchen is tile, so my new baseboards will sit on tile as well. 

 

[ps99472]

So getting this for my new floor, 6" engineered birch handscraped mild distressed, made locally (or China?) in the city of Industry by urbanfloors.com.  It will be glued down with 5" baseboards.  Around $8.75/ sq ft.  A bit dark, but it was the first floor both my wife and I gravitated towards when the Venetian guy brought the samples.  Love the name Sarsparilla, reminds me of my childhood, and still available at you local Ranch 99.

 

[socal78]

And yes... if you're not replacing your baseboards when installing wood flooring... like IHS suggested, I would ask about additional baseboards instead of quarter rounds.

Not so fast. Building up the baseboards that thick will create a dimension issue when you run into the door casing, with the profile of the baseboards sticking out beyond the casing. It should be slightly recessed from the casing or flush if need be. You could add plinth blocks, however I never see plinth blocks on new constructions / mass produced tract homes. LOL. Only a quality home with authentic architectural detail. If the door casing accepts the plinth blocks, fine. What if it does not? I read Ishoppr's advice to apply to a home like his own rather than an Irvine tract home.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I'm sure there is a much better looking application than just quarter rounds for projects where the baseboards are not being replaced. Even a smaller profile low height slant molding might look better (have no idea what the term for that is).

I'm not talking about creating these huge stacked baseboards, just adding something that looks more decorative and cleaner than quarter rounds (which don't look that good themselves against door casings).

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I'm sure there is a much better looking application than just quarter rounds for projects where the baseboards are not being replaced. Even a smaller profile low height slant molding might look better (have no idea what the term for that is).

I'm not talking about creating these huge stacked baseboards, just adding something that looks more decorative and cleaner than quarter rounds (which don't look that good themselves against door casings).

"Shoe molding" was the term I was looking for.

Stuff like this:

But I'm sure they make these with more detail so it looks nicer matched with your baseboards.

 

[akim997]

I dont know what is "correct" or not, but in my last home we replaced carpet and baseboards.  New baseboards were installed on top of the wood and I thought it looked much better.  I agree with Socal, I hate the look of the quarter rounds.   

I actually asked Ipac if they could install the baseboards after installing the floors, and of course the answer was "No, we agree its better without the quarter round, but you get what you get".    We actually sprung for the baseboard upgrade because we upgraded tile and I was worried about uniformity/consistency (keeping the standard 3" baseboards in the bathrooms with new 5 1/4" everywhere else in the house if we went outside.  I didnt see how you would be able to maintain the tile and replace only the baseboard since the tile/grout run up against the baseboard.  In the end, I actually really like how everything turned out.  Venetian quoted us about $16K and change (including demo) for the downstairs in our preferred floor which was $19,000 through the builder.    We got similar quotes and decided to eat ~$2500 difference and went with the builder.    I think the wood we like just happens to be popular right now so its hard to get a discounted price. 

 

[woodburyowner]

We actually sprung for the baseboard upgrade because we upgraded tile and I was worried about uniformity/consistency (keeping the standard 3" baseboards in the bathrooms with new 5 1/4" everywhere else in the house if we went outside.  I didnt see how you would be able to maintain the tile and replace only the baseboard since the tile/grout run up against the baseboard.

I changed out my old standard baseboards which were installed to the cement.  The new 5 1/4" baseboards actually sits on top of the tile now.  With the increased height, there was also increased thickness so the new baseboard could not fit back in the original gap.  Caulk was used to seal the air space between the baseboard and tile.  At first I did not like the look of the white caulk, but now I'm looking at it and it's fine.  My house feels completely different with the upgraded modern baseboards.

 

[monekoko]

It is not actually incorrect way. If the baseboards are thick enuff to cover the wood floor expansion gaps, then you can have the choice of whether or not using the shoe moldings. Peeps usually prefer the baseboards installed directly on the wood floors without shoes due to its cleaner look.
But this doesn't apply to solid wood thou since they expand much more than engineered hardwoods.. So I heard..