How to Use Nailing Techniques in Base and Shoe Molding

Give a finished look to your new flooring by nailing a shoe, or quarter-round, to your base molding. By installing the shoe over the flooring, you will hide all uneven edges in the flooring at the perimeter of the room. Also, in older homes, you can close cracks in the bottom of the base molding.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Nails
• Hammer or nail gun
• Wood putty
• Caulking

1. Start at one end of the molding, rather than beginning in the middle. Hold the molding tightly against the wall when you're ready to start nailing.

2. Check on the bottom of the baseboard. If there is a gap between the baseboard and the floor, be sure to angle the nail so that it bites into wood, not air. If the gap is uneven, mark problem areas lightly with pencil before installing the shoe so you won't have any hidden surprises as you nail.

3. Nail as closely to the floor as possible. The higher you nail into the shoe, the thinner the wood and the greater the chance that the shoe will split. Also nail straight, rather than at an angle.

4. Put in one nail every foot to take care of any minor bulges in the wall. This also will ensure that the shoe fits snugly against the base.

5. Use a nail punch with a hammer to ensure that the nail goes below the surface without denting the wood.

6. Fill any gaps between the shoe and base molding with caulking and the nail holes with putty.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using a hammer rather than a nail gun and have concerns about splitting the wood on the shoe while nailing it in, use a drill to pre-drill nail holes.