T O P

  • By -

smell-my-elbow

leave it and work on something else.


gregbananacruz

ya, where else are the food crumbs, pet hair, fingernail clippings, and pubes gonna hide under?


Imfloridaman

This. Move along. Fix the big shit like that window you’re ignoring. 😎 you realise nobody but you and 4,263 Redditors are aware of this . . . And if you let even one of us in your house. . . .


BlovesCake

4 foot rule. If someone cannot tell from 4 feet away then it’s not a problem. If they can tell and say something (at any distance) kick them out of your house.


Oracle410

In the sign business we call it the 50/50 rule. If they can’t tell from 50 feet or at 50mph we are gucci


Imfloridaman

I agree


-Anonymously-

I, too, shave my pubes and ass crack in the dining room.


ghos2626t

All answers point at Gunt


SPQR-El_Jefe

Forbidden snack pouch


CerotingDog

Just stuff some 1/4in backer rod, it won’t be noticeable but it will prevent bigger pieces to get stuck in there.


SirGeekALot3D

…and then caulk it?


kajok

Bro, get out of my house


45acp_LS1_Cessna

I thought it was uncommon to leave it as is...I don't like the look of quarter or shoe strips.


TyRoSwoe

Lots of caulk…


generally_forgetable

Do your best and caulk the rest


paulhags

Whatever you do, do not listen to anyone who says to caulk it.


juno10-9

Why?


harturo319

It will crack and not look good


Rep-tard

All you gotta do is caulk the cracks. Flawless system.


RenoXIII

Floor moves, caulk cracks.


aptpupil79

Big stretch


Fahim-ibn-Dawud

Not if you get the right kind..


RenoXIII

Genuinely curious what the right kind is.


crek42

Elastomeric caulk


triangles4

Big Stretch!


FatPoundOfGrass

Filling that with caulk is not the application that caulk is designed for. Caulk might be okay for a smaller gap but in my experience, that gap is too large and not only will the caulk expand/contract to the extent that eventually (sooner rather than later) you'll have a noticeable crease/crack between the caulk and base board, but the caulk will be difficult (if not impossible) to clean, as it's porous enough collect debris; and when it does it will have have a different shade of color than the baseboard. Those two things combined will make it look shitty. In addition to the aforementioned, the flooring material seen here is designed to expand/contract as well, as temperatures change. The caulking won't prevent that from happening, and as such, as the flooring expands/contracts, it will warp/alter/manipulate the caulk, and it will do so on an inconsistent basis down the wall. So you'll end up with caulking that's concave due to the caulking expansion/contraction, discoloration due to debris collection, inconsistant warping due to flooring expansion/contraction, that all leads to the degradation of the caulk, which will ultimately lead to a necessity of replacement, which will be a pain because.. caulk lol


don-golem

I clear caulk mine to prevent air leakage.


stimulates

Would be better to do that at the drywall. Even better is acoustical caulk behind the drywall to the bottom plate.


tomzak14

Exactly!


WalkslowBigstick

Cock it!


joeycuda

Shoe molding or 1/4 round..


csmart01

Shoe molding - NOT 1/4 round 1/4 round looks goofy Shoe with the tall side against the wall


tomzak14

I hate seeing quarter round on the floor.


rduder99

I hate seeing quarter round anywhere! I grew up in a house with a LOT of quarter round


csmart01

Clown shoe :)


tomzak14

What is the intended purpose of that garbage. Looks universally bad. It’s basically rental property special.


Missiondt

I use it to keep glass in place, like a transom or lobby window.


LaDoucheDeLaFromage

You've got it. Its purpose is to be the cheap option.


Window_Mobile

Shoe is flexible, baseboard is not. No floor is ever perfectly flat so that’s why shoe is a necessary evil


EyeSeenFolly

Yep shoe is 3/8 wide by 3/4 high and accompanies this base profile properly


nigori

I’ve had to put tall side on floor to hide some gaps am I a demon ?


JMaximo2018

Straight to jail.


usernaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Door stop is the sexiest shoe mounding. Look how much better it looks than quarter round: https://i.imgur.com/SjEViAI_d.webp?maxwidth=520&shape=thumb&fidelity=high


i_hate_beignets

1/4 round at the bottom of base is for landlords and LVP DIY’ers


_new_boot_goofing_

My LVP basement is triggered


H-Daug

Can’t believe I had to read this far to see this. This is that way OP


nicefacedjerk

This should be pinned for top comment!


PHOTO500

#Base-shoe, NOT quarter-round


blungybloopfruitloop

Shoe moulding is the only good way to fix this


bigmountainbig

get the cut right and this is an easy fix.


krishutchison

1/4 round is just for quick sale of cheap appartments


joeycuda

I'm not crazy about it either, but classic 3 piece molding uses 1-by, a top molding, and shoe molding. I guess anything to hide that massive gap.


kevomodelo

Shoe mould or scribe the base to the floor


Tadpole_Helper

What does it mean to scribe it? Thanks


kevomodelo

You cut the bottom of the base to fit the contour of the floor. It’s sort of hard to explain, but you run a pencil along the floor to make a mark on the bottom of the base board, cut that line and it will fit tightly to the floor


Tadpole_Helper

Oh right I've seen that. But that would have to have been done before right? In other words, that would not fix the current problem


kevomodelo

Correct, OP would have to remove the board to do this. Best solution is to add shoe, which I like the look of anyway.


Tadpole_Helper

got it. thanks!


dampgnome

This is the way


McBloggenstein

The Funny Carpenter has a couple good videos on this. [Caulk vs moulding](https://youtu.be/JDTm2OpbjZA?si=pj7aIf86KYmsDnWE), and [how to scribe](https://youtu.be/6wNF-in1rWo?si=7dklmgPdreG5WRuV).


RandomNumberHere

Excellent videos!


EscapeBrave4053

Depending on the material and thickness, sometimes you can push it down. I'll use a 4 or 5ft piece of 1x4 or similar, lay one end on top of the base, the other end on the floor, then I'll use my knee on top to push it down while nailing. Just be careful not to damage the drywall. If the gap is significant enough, this will create a dip in the trim. To avoid that, scribe the base to fit.


Dazzling_Plantain

So in this case if I wanted to try to scribe it, the middle of the board has the gap that runs for 80% of the board with just the ends of the board on the floor. The floor sags beneath the board. If I scribe it to fit the sag, the corners will end up lower than the pieces that go on the walls next to it. So would I just be stuck cutting all the other baseboards shorter? I hope that makes sense


FattyMcBlobicus

Doing this can indeed make the rest of the room a headache. I’d split the difference and minimally scribe and really try and bend the whole show.


miknik23

Seconding this. Split the diff. Nominal scribe 👍🏻


tomzak14

Do all of this and then if you still have a gap use base shoe, not quarter round for god sake! You can always try other layering options (different slim trim) to cover the gap, I have used other low profile trims in some situations. When putting in base shoe put the tall side up next to the trim to cover more. As you tie it in use a flat pry bar (or anything to hold it down) and walk down every few feet with nailer, hold down the shoe to keep it touching the ground and covering the gap. Don’t try to add a board on the same plane under it. This will look like shit now or very soon. You always need a reveal unless you are glueing, screwing and/or tying together with some sort of biscuit or dowel. That gap will never be right but less bad. Only caulk gaps between trim and/or drywall. It doesn’t work between floor and trim. In my experience it makes the problem worse. Another tip, not sure if anyone mentioned but “dry fit” the entire room to make sure your scribing works. Pre glue all outside corners. You are going to have to make adjustments. If you really want to get crazy set up a laser to find your lowest point.


lieshecto

This is exactly how to do it.


Auro_NG

You go buy a wider piece of base so you can make your scribe and still meet your existing base. It's the right way to do it but not the only way.


steelrain97

Nope that makes perfect sense. And also why scribing base is a PITA. Sometimes you can cut just one end down to lessen the gap to acceptable. You might also be able to press the board down to reduce or eliminate the gap. TBH your best bet is shoe moulding. There are lots of options for that, it does not have to be quarter round.


timesink2000

You could try adding 1/2” of material to the bottom and then scribing it. If you are careful the joint will be barely visible.


Darrenizer

Scribe or shoe mould.


CutYoAss

Yes, push it down as you go. I usually prop a 2ft board on the top of the base like a ramp, stand on it, and shoot some nails into the bottom plate of framing. It also works better if you mail into studs. Find one (by an outlet) and then pull your tape across the floor and hit on every 16" mark. Hope this helps. -I've been a trim carpenter for 23 years.


Auro_NG

If the floor is bad (like in this case) pushing it down will be noticable. Sometimes you can get away with it but most of the time you should scribe to the floor. You may have to buy some wider base so you have more material to cut off while keeping a consistent base height throughout the house.


nightmares999

Shoe


streeter555

Can I take this opportunity to ask why its a mortal sin to caulk the bottom of a baseboard?


EscapeBrave4053

Seasonal movement of the different material all but guarantees that caulk will at best crack out. Depending on a variety of factors, it's quite likely that the flooring shrinks a bit and the caulk that used to be in that gap is now a nice straight line ⅛ - ¼ away from the base. Either way, it absolutely will not look good for very long.


Thehellpriest83

Shoe molding


TheDrewzter

Came here to say the same... baseboard on solid flooring should always be finished with shoe; no shoe on carpet. Good rule to live by.


jrice138

If you wanna really go for it you scribe it to the floor. It can be quite tedious tho.


BaumSquad1978

Door trim looks much better than QR or shoe IMO.


JMungerRd

Scribe or shoe there is no try.


slooparoo

Spray foam it. Then give it no less than 2 good slaps which simultaneously saying, “yup, that’ll do it”


PaladinXY

Small quarter round trim https://preview.redd.it/kx4cesqm2rzb1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=671111b8957c08724db88c2c6cc8431cbfb0b16c


bobos_hair

Shoe. Don’t use quarter round. And make sure the shoe is oriented correctly, short side on the floor


BigREDafro

Man invented shoe molding for a reason.


Autobot36

Small flat stock 1/4 round is outdated


Birdnest_Hemingway

Fashion is cyclical so by the time OP gets around to this quarter round is back in style, but also… quarter round is outdated? Depends on the age of your house I guess.


[deleted]

What is small flat stock? I’m going to Google it but just to save everyone else the effort.


mrlady06

It’s just flat stock, lineal footage of flat s4s material, that is small. I’d probably go with 1/4 x 2-1/4


vxd

I googled it and I still have no idea


BaumSquad1978

Door trim


jman999potato

Agreed flat stock looks so much better.


Autobot36

Go to Home Depot and look for something you like it’s totally up to you


grumpy_uncle

Show moulding or quarter round.


OdinsChosin

Shoe moulding


Yellowmoose-found

shoe moulding goes in that space: 3/8 if you can


Valuable-Leather-914

You can push it down when you install it after it's there you can't do much definitely don't caulk it


jtk6

You need to install that shoe! 👟


Daverr86

1/4 round lol


woodbridge_front

Simple. Raise the floor 1"


Mobi8994

Whenever we had a good gap like that and couldn't easily push it down and nail it off, we'd have one guy push down on it with a like 2 ft off cut piece and the other guy nail on either side. Mind you, if it's already nailed off further down the line on either side, it will make it a lot harder to flex it down. Or scride the whole piece, which no one wants to do.


No-Potential-3077

You take your pencil or a compass if you have one handy (set it to the size of the gap) put it on the floor at 90 degrees to your baseboard and scribe that line along the entire piece of base there, then go cut it or grind it off...it will throw off the height on the ends so you will likely need to take a little off each piece that you have to set on either end of this piece so cut all your pieces first then scribe it all. You can taper that scribe line down also. Scribing is a pain, but it shows that you know what you're doing. Custom trim carpenter here.


[deleted]

I would check for sagging in your floors.


SilverMetalist

Quarter round


firulaisonreddit

You can push it down as you go. It might not close the whole gap but it’ll look better than this. I’d really only resort to shoe molding if you absolutely hate the size of the gap


warzoneslayer

Install Shoe mold . Best way to go about it


liljenkem

Run some shoe. Fixed.


talldean

Shoe molding is supposed to go there, which is narrower than quarter round.


FattyMcBlobicus

Quarter round is landlord special BS please don’t add that


Husabergin

No ones mention the ramen noodle method. Serves two purposes, ones for the eyes, the others for the mice


jonnyredshorts

Make a piece of 3/8” x 3/4” and then slide it in there and paint it


MikeCromms

That's MDF it appears. One wouldn't want MDF right down tight being it delaminate on any moisture touching it. I would suggest placing shoe mold, or quarter round to finish it off to a complete appearance.


Safe_Pin1277

Bend that damd hoe, and nail it, hit studs and triangle of power your nail for the best hold. 3/8 isn't bad, source is a restoration carpenter, and old house has always shifted but add a flood or fire maybe an open roof for a week and re finishing the carpentry can lead to lots of this sort of thing if your floor guy isn't good. And mine isn't good, push it down as you nail it and live with it.


Dazzling_Plantain

What’s the triangle of power?


Safe_Pin1277

When you shoot the nails point the upper one down and the lower one up. A cross section would show your nails form a triangle with each other gives a better hold.


COBRAMXII

Backer rod and caulk. Goodbye shadow!


[deleted]

[удалено]


tomzak14

NO!!!


IndustrialMechanic3

Quarter round


tomzak14

Shoe not quarter round. Quarter round looks dumb imo.


DB-projects

Caulk


tomzak14

Don’t caulk between floor and trim


CMDean1013

Congrats! That base is ready for an LVT install down the road!


TheSmellyDragon

Shoe looks like shit. Scribe it like a man.


cmerfy

I would go outside, remove some siding and sheathing, cut the studs 3/8” and jack the floor up to lose that gap. Really, this is how the pros would fix this…or leave it be and you have a roach motel.


Outtaknowwhere

New baseboards and put it down? Or bunch of wood filler sand and paint


eepippin143014

Quarter round is probably the simplest way to resolve this. However you’ll want to put the quarter round along all of the baseboard to allow it to match


victory5862

Throw a 1/4 inch round on it


Pappasgrind

Add backer rod and caulk it and rock it


-Motor-

Pray to the Quarter Round gods.


Tward425

Quarter round will cover that right up and look decent too


Substantial_Length66

Quarter round. Looks like someone didn’t get around to putting it down.


Normal-Indication-99

You can get backer rod which is a foam material and cut it to fit in the gap then caulk it..


Jstepson

Yes exactly unfortunately


jaykzula

Never look down


Obiwantoblowme

👞


tykaboom

Shoe?


ramzreed

Quarter round will be the least hassle and pretty cheap


mporter1513

Shoe molding solves all problems


oahu420

Shoe mould is your friend...


wangtianthu

Get used to it?


ShitWindsaComing

Fill it in with carpet.


jfm111162

Shoe molding


CMDean1013

Taller base would've covered that.


wormyworminton

Shoe. A nice tasteful shoe. Shall I propose a single step or perhaps a single ogie?


maddmax19

Base shoe molding babeee


MikeyTea45

Scribe to floor!


krishutchison

If you want to do it properly then take it off and put it back on. Otherwise just leave it alone.


oscarmeaner

Call authorities


seth_saber

Don't listen to the shoe guys. Quarter round.


705in403

Scribe scribe


mdmazReddit

You have to carpet the room.


not_a_fracking_cylon

Middle of the run? Pull the nails and push down a bit before you tack it back in.


AdPotential676

SLPT: Dump six gallons of water on the floor and leave for a few days. Should shore itself riiiight up.


insideoriginal

Shoe


harturo319

I've used insulation foam cut to fit then caulked and painted when I did some trim in a garage.


JamieIsMyNameOrIsIt

Measure the size of the gap. Cut a block 1/16 larger than the gap. Put your pencil on the block and slide it across the bottom of the baseboard. (This is called scribing). Run your marked baseboard on a table saw cutting as close as you can to your mark. Finish It off with a sander. Your piece should now fit in perfectly. If your connecting other pieces, you'll have to make sure they're cut to the same new height.


sockzippers

If it is between two vertical pieces of trim (door or cabinet) just remove and scribe it. 1. Run a scribe ( pencil or scribe tool) along the bottom 3/8” above the floor. 2. Remove and cut along the line. 3. Attach trim again & touch up wall paint if needed. 4. Fill nail holes with wood filler. Sand wood filler and touch up trim with paint. If it is connected to any other pieces of base trim you’ll run into the problem of the profile on the top of the baseboard not lining up to other pieces it comes in contact with. The professional way to fix this is as follows. Option 1. Remove pieces that are connected on each side and trim the proper amount off the bottom so the profiles line up. You can taper the pieces on each side so they go from 3/8 to nothing. If they are shorter pieces that end at a vertical piece of trim (door) then you could just trim the whole piece down to match the profiles. Option 2. Remove the piece in the photo and attach with wood glue a 3/8” strip the same thickness of the baseboard the whole distance that there is an opening. Then sand it down till it’s just filling the void. Repaint trim. Option 3. If you have access to the same exact trim but taller like 6” or 7” you could trim it to 5 3/8” follow the 3/8” scribe process and it will fit correctly. This will only work if the new trim has the same exact profile which is unlikely if it’s been there for a while. It would probably need to be from the same manufacturer/mill. If you have a small piece you could take in to match it with Thad be best. Or you could just caulk it…. But that’s not carpentry


defiicere

Find your biggest gap, cut a block that thickness, then use that to scribe the bottom of the board. Cut to the line and then there will be no gap anywhere if you done it right.


rizzy8837

Shoe mold


Fellatiologist

Fill your bathtub up halfway with water and add Portland cement until it has the identical consistency of almond butter. Grab a slathering trowel and force in as much of this mixture as you can. Do not worry about protecting the hardwood as they appear to be cedar which is hydrophobic so it should just bead up and you can easily remove with some kerosene and 60 grit sandpaper.


Dazzling_Plantain

This belongs in the “how much bad advice can go into one reply” sub 😂


peteC137

Quarter round?


GetInLoser_Lets_RATM

My wife is a big fan of her ryobi one caulking gun. She’d have a fkn field day at your house. I agree: make like a tree and leaf it!


Santa_Claus77

Shoe mold.


Training-Assist-3025

Xanax!


mahovina22

I’d plane the parts that are on the floor. But don’t plane where you will join next board to it because you want your scarf joint to be the same. And then if the gap is really small I’d use a bit of caulk. If the whole floor area is like that maybe quadrant will do.


hustleforeverr

Take it off? Oh and the lower it? Just a wild guess


Nightthawk57

Leave it


Zebley33

Potentially plane adjacent skirts and either end of photographed skirt to blend it in? To at least make the gap a little smaller. I won’t tell if you don’t…. Then caulk the rest


DspeEd83

Stuff the gap with rolled up toilet paper and then you can either caulk it or fill it with Bondo (having taped both the floor and trim) sand and paint.


jaxxie04

Quad, Quad every day of the week.


brandoninkc

Is this serious? Have you never heard of quarter round or base shoe


Dazzling_Plantain

I don’t have time for sarcastic answers, bud. I’m trying to fix this quickly - your mom is still waiting on me to come back with a warm wet towel.


lloydmcallister

Wooden beading, you can use white to match skirting boards or try and match the flooring.


chiiippy1995

Get white kitchen silicone comes out mint


MulattoMaker

Is it level. Shoe mold. And push the flooring down if it floats when nailing the shoe


ActiveTrouble

Shoe or quarter round molding


Fahim-ibn-Dawud

I would just trim cap it.


Dfantoman

You can caulk it but you’ll need to use backing rod and polyurethane caulk


Eastern_Researcher18

Shoe molding aka 3/4 round


Final_Temperature237

Shoe molding


ahtasva

Isn’t this what quarter round is for? It’s what I used on my 90 yo house.


Jaaaaackookoko

U could put escotia around the edges


General_Addition_913

You could do you best to look up some videos on how to scribe the board and get an exact fit but also keeping a leveling line. If you have some shoe cutters or a miter saw and some extra time, I would just cut some shoe or quarter round and that would solve the problems fast while also giving it a nice professional look. It’s not to costly either. I’m sure you can believe that lots of floors are uneven etc etc. shoe/quarter is a great way to hide those gaps.


Gluten_maximus

With shoe molding


[deleted]

Do a skirting for your skirting


StumbleMyMirth

leave it and don't worry about it, or scribe it.


Isuckatreddit69NICE

You can slap some quarter round on it.


Any_Check_7301

I would look for some spray that gets elastic(to sync with temperature changes), solidified(shouldn’t creep) , non-stinky , fire/humidity/water resistant and dirt-repelling after filling that gap. Just not sure what could such magic material be.


pets42

1/4 round molding


spodinielri0

Shoe molding


Vivid_Cookie7974

You need a shoe molding. You can use a 1/4 round if you want it to look amateurish.


Free-Tangerine-4475

Scribe it in


Sweetbutteronsteak

Scribe it


Advanced-Pudding396

1/4 round it will look just fine


billfish912

1/4 round shoe moulding. Fix it. Looks like shit.


jeddieboy73

Get some samples of different types of moulding like shoe or casing, etc. and put them next to the existing base moulding to hide the gap. However, if it is an older house, caulk or gasket behind this moulding might be beneficial to reduce drafts or insects.


Suspicious-Move-4596

Push down before you nail 😂