gap between molding and floor

Amateur here, renovating a newly bought 1950s apartment.  We ripped out the old, battered base moulding and I discovered that the new moulding (9/16″) is thinner than the old stuff (it didn’t look like it).  The old wooden parquet floors apparently did not go all the way under the old moulding, so now there is a little gap between the new moulding and the floor.   On a tight budget and deadline — what is the best fix?  Ideas?  Thanks so much!

Suzanne

in Flooring 12 years and 11 months ago

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Suzanne | 12 years and 11 months ago

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As a followup, I appreciated all the advice.  We went with shoe molding — slightly elongated, not exactly a quarter round – and it fixes the problem.  I had never even heard the term before, nor given any thought to molding whatsoever.  Given that the walls and floor aren’t entirely straight anyway, I probably needed some of this no matter what.  Thanks for the advice.

stevecym | 12 years and 11 months ago

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ok, it is sitting above the floor as the floor has sagged.  everyone is suggesting 1/4 round and that or some other type of shoe is what I would suggest, pushed down to the floor.  yes, it may stick out beyond the casements in which case you can put a return on the ends.  your other choice is to do what we often do when installing molding that does not sit against the floor or wall – plane it on the ends.  you can caulk it but that will look sloppy and as the floor expands and contracts, it will pull on the caulk and make it look sloppier.

slopemope | 12 years and 11 months ago

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quarter round is fairly standard treatment (shoe molding).  this is basically what it’s made for.  i don’t care for the look, i have some rooms with and some without.  i don’t know how much $$ you have invested and cut, but i’d go with thicker molding if it would work, then quarter round.

Bond | 12 years and 11 months ago

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If you go with the luan backing, then you’ll have to take off and recut all the molding that’s already in place, and you’ll have to seal the edges to hold paint which seems like a hassle.  Add in the fact that unless both your floorand your base moldings  are perfectly straight, you’ll end up with a gap on some parts anyway.  It’s not uncommon to find dips in flooring even in brand new installations.  With that in mind, I’d go ahead and install shoe molding which is flexible enough that it can be manipulated to compensate for any variations in the flooring, and since it’s slightly taller than wider, looks a little less intrusive than quarter round (just an opinion).  The downside of shoe molding is it does have a top and a bottom unlike quarter round, so you have to pay a little more attention when cutting it.

Suzanne | 12 years and 11 months ago

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http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4feb737468b1d-processed-gap2.JPG

Thanks to all so far, this is helping.  Given that the apartment basically is a small box, I’m reluctant to add too much fuss to the exterior of the molding, so maybe the luan idea might work–if not, the quarter round.  Let’s see if a pic of what I’m dealing with comes through.  I hate these rookie mistakes….

Loub | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Assuming you’ve bought and cut a fair portion of your molding, here’s a saving idea.  Rip luan  and layer it behind your store-bought molding. It will give you 1/8th or 1/4 of an inch and be essentially undetectable after a small layer of paint.  You don’t have to go the ful height of the molding, leave yourself some room at the bottom.  The luan will be flexible enough to conform to the warped walls you’re likely going to face as well.  PS, mind your corner cuts. Odds are more than a few are not 90 degrees.  Coping the corner rather than cutting a 45 may be to your benefit. And don’t forget that caulk is your friend.  Just be sane about how much you use.

stevecym | 12 years and 11 months ago

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I bet that new molding came from HD or Lowes.  If you check Dykes you may find a heavier molding – one that dresses at 3/4″.   Steve

RBCG | 12 years and 11 months ago

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You can either tack a piece of quarter-round molding to the bottom of the baseboard, or you can attach a shorter piece of baseboard molding to the existing piece (older houses often make molding by building up simpler pieces in just such a manner, though that might not look so nice in a 1950’s apartment.) Either way, very cheap and quick.