Is shoe molding on backwards?
Richard Stanton
new hardwood floor. We suspect that it may have been installed incorrectly
for two reasons:
- the long edge of the molding is flush with the floor, the short edge
is adjacent to the base board
- it looks as though the nails anchoring the molding are attached to
the floor rather than the baseboard.
Is this something to be concerned about?
Richard Stanton
Chris Lesher
>We recently had some shoe molding installed to finish the edge of a
>new hardwood floor. We suspect that it may have been installed incorrectly
>for two reasons:
You're right
>- the long edge of the molding is flush with the floor, the short edge
> is adjacent to the base board
Normally it's taller than it is wide.
>- it looks as though the nails anchoring the molding are attached to
> the floor rather than the baseboard.
>Is this something to be concerned about?
kind of a personal thing - it sounds as if it might look kinda different.. but
there certainly isn't any structural signifigance.
>Richard Stanton
It sounds like either the hardwood wasn't laid close enough to your baseboards
for a normally oriented base shoe to cover and they decided to fudge it the
only quick and easy way. Either that or the person(s) placing the base shoe
didn't have a clue... I suspect I'd be a bit unhappy with it. Maybe the base
shoe installer could enlighten you as to their reasoning?
Chris
Jeff Roberts
>>- it looks as though the nails anchoring the molding are attached to
>> the floor rather than the baseboard.
>>Is this something to be concerned about?
>kind of a personal thing - it sounds as if it might look kinda different.. but
>there certainly isn't any structural signifigance.
>>Richard Stanton
>It sounds like either the hardwood wasn't laid close enough to your baseboards
>for a normally oriented base shoe to cover and they decided to fudge it the
>only quick and easy way. Either that or the person(s) placing the base shoe
>didn't have a clue... I suspect I'd be a bit unhappy with it. Maybe the base
>shoe installer could enlighten you as to their reasoning?
>Chris
It sounds more like cluelessness, but it might make some sense to nail
to the floor, in case some settling were to occur. My parents' house is
about 25 years old, and in one central room the cieling and wall have
parted company. The gap opens and closes over the course of the year.
I had suggested adding some crown molding for a quick fix, and advised
nailing it to the ceiling so it could ride up and down the wall and hide the
gap...
---
Jeff Roberts
jjro...@ingr.com
Intergraph Corporation
Huntsville, Alabama
(205) 730-5803
Jay Brandt
(Richard Stanton) wrote:
> We recently had some shoe molding installed to finish the edge of a
> new hardwood floor. We suspect that it may have been installed incorrectly
> for two reasons:
>
> - the long edge of the molding is flush with the floor, the short edge
> is adjacent to the base board
>
> - it looks as though the nails anchoring the molding are attached to
> the floor rather than the baseboard.
Yes, I think they did it bass-ackwards. When I recently installed hardwood
flooring in my home, all the reference materials at my disposal said that
baseboard and shoe molding should attach to the -wall-, and -not- to the
floor. I'm no expert on wood floor installation, but I did a -lot- of
research before tackling the job myself.
> Is this something to be concerned about?
Yes. The reason given for attaching the molding to the wall was that it
allows the wood flooring to expand and contract freely. If the flooring
itself was correctly installed, there should be a small gap between wall
and floor to allow for this expansion (either stopping the boards a
quarter-inch short of the wall, or tucking the ends under drywall that
stops short of the floor surface). The baseboard and/or shoe molding
covers this gap, and allows a slip-fit for expansion in the direction of
the floorboards length and width.
It seems to me that the molding applied on your floor will either stop the
expansion prematurely (possibly causing floor boards to warp or buckle, or
more likely ripping the molding loose), or it will pull the molding away
from the floor on contraction, leaving an unsightly gap.
If it were my floor, I'd call the contractors back and make them reinstall
it correctly, at -their- expense.
--
Regards, Jay Brandt <rze...@email.sps.mot.com>
Owner/Craftsman Bear Paw Woodworks Austin, Texas USA
*| My opinions stated herein are just that, my opinions. They reflect |*
*| my viewpoint, and not those of my employer, spouse, or anyone else. |*
Tom Fuehrer
>
>>We recently had some shoe molding installed to finish the edge of a
>>new hardwood floor. We suspect that it may have been installed incorrectly
>>for two reasons:
>
>You're right
>
>>- the long edge of the molding is flush with the floor, the short edge
>> is adjacent to the base board
>
>Normally it's taller than it is wide.
>
>>- it looks as though the nails anchoring the molding are attached to
>> the floor rather than the baseboard.
>
>>Is this something to be concerned about?
>
>kind of a personal thing - it sounds as if it might look kinda different.. but
>there certainly isn't any structural signifigance.
But what happens when the flooring expands and contracts. If the Shoe is
fastend to the flooring it will move in relation to the wall and create
some unattractive gaps. (Given the flooring is Hardwood).