Finish work / Baseboard and trim
Baseboard does two jobs. It covers the expansion gap that every floating floor needs at the wall, and it ties the floor to the room. A new floor with old, chipped or gappy baseboard never looks quite done, while crisp new trim makes even a modest room feel complete.
We fit new baseboard and quarter round after a new floor goes in, and we also do trim on its own when the floor is fine but the edges are not. Thresholds and transition strips are part of the same work: wherever tile meets plank, plank meets carpet or the floor meets a sliding door, the right profile keeps the edge safe and tidy.
How the work goes
Measure every wall
We measure each run and plan the joints so seams fall in less visible spots, such as behind a door.
Cut and fit
Corners are cut at the saw and test fitted before anything is nailed. Long runs get a scarf joint, not a butt joint.
Fasten and fill
Baseboard is nailed to the wall, not the floor, so a floating floor can still move. Nail holes are filled.
Set transitions
Each doorway gets the profile that suits the two floors and their heights.
Picking a transition
A T strip sits between two floors of the same height, such as plank to plank across a doorway. A reducer steps down from a thicker floor, often tile, to a thinner one. An end cap finishes the floor at a sliding door, a fireplace hearth or a step. A carpet edge strip holds carpet where it meets a hard floor.
We match the color of the transition to the floor where we can, or pick a neutral metal profile at tile edges, where it also protects the tile from chipping.
Baseboard styles
Most newer homes in our area have simple, flat or lightly rounded baseboard about three to five inches tall. Taller, flat baseboard looks crisp with large format tile and wide planks. Quarter round or base shoe is a smaller strip that sits on the floor in front of existing baseboard and covers the gap without removing the trim.
If your current baseboard comes off cleanly, it can sometimes go back on. Older or painted trim can be brittle, and we will tell you before we start whether reuse is realistic.
Paint and finish
We install primed trim and fill the nail holes, leaving it ready for a final coat. Prefinished white baseboard is another option if you prefer to skip painting. Caulk along the top edge is added when the wall is uneven, so there is no shadow gap.
Questions about baseboard and trim
Can you reuse our existing baseboard?
If it comes off without splitting, yes. We remove it carefully and number the pieces so each one goes back where it came from.
Quarter round or new baseboard?
Quarter round is quicker and keeps the old trim. New baseboard looks cleaner, especially with modern floors. We show you both at the visit.
Is painting included?
We leave primed trim with filled nail holes, ready for paint. Final painting is up to you.
Can you add trim to a floor someone else installed?
Yes. Trim and transitions are often done on their own to finish a floor or fix a gap at the wall.
