# uneven floor transition shoe trim



## philp

We replaced a carpeted floor with 3/4" hardwood and now the transition to a vinyl floor has us in a bind trying to figure out what to do with the shoe molding. I'm attaching a picture of our 'temporary' fix. Yeah, it looks pretty bad! We'll really appreciate any advice on how to deal with this. Thanks!


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## Hammer1

Difficult situation as it stands. You could scribe the rounded "threshold" the thickness of the shoe mold and let in the shoe so it doesn't sit on a rounded surface. Then you would make miter cuts as the shoe transitions, sort of the way you might handle a staircase skirt. That would give you a full width shoe molding instead of one whittled, stopped and not continuous.


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## Porphyre

.....


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## jlord

Is that the end of the wall or a column?


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## woodnthings

If it's a column your in luck, just make a wider/taller shoe and cut like suggested below.

Get or make a wider shoe mold as was suggrsted. You can glue your quarter round on some stock to make it wider. Make enough to allow for some practice runs.... :laughing:
Make thin cardboard template that will follow the floor profile between the rooms. Lay your template on the back of your wide molding holding the top of the quarter round at the correct angle.
Cut away everything that doesn't look right and miter the corners, that will be tricky.....  bill

It will "pinch" as it goes over the transition curve as shown in the bottom photo.


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## philp

This is actually the end of a wall opening between the entry and breakfast nook. The diagrams will be very helpful! Thank you all for the suggestions.


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## Trimguy

Just a suggestion and it may not be what you are desiring to see, but maybe you could miter return the shoe molding on the hardwood stopping at the seem of the threshold. Then do the same thing on the tile side. In other words, avoid trying to run the shoe molding over the curved threshold all together. I have run into this many times in remodels. Each time it boiled down to a matter of personal taste. Personally, I think keeping all trim running parallel to themselves is a far more aesthetic approach. The random angle combined with the horizontal line of the base board makes it look exactly like what it is. "Oops." Keeping the base shoe running perfectly parallel to the base board and returning it to the floor or wall then picking it back up after the change of elevation is far more purposeful and intentional looking. Just my opinion.


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## cabinetman

philp said:


> This is actually the end of a wall opening between the entry and breakfast nook.


 





 
What's that thing that looks like a wood box?












 







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## woodnthings

*agreed*

anytime you can run lines horizontal rather than at an angle it will be a more harmonious solution. Angles tend to stand out immediately and acute angles especially become focal points. 

On the subject in question, if it were mine, I would eliminate the quarter round on the face entirely and just relieve the base mold to run the transition under it or butt it. 
I've always felt that moldings cover poor craftsmanship and prefer not to use them... I have none around my windows and doors and only in the bathrooms to prevent water entry. I realize I am not in the majority and that my preference would be considered weird by designers/decorators. The Bauhaus school of design motto was essentially "less is more", so I leave a 1/2" gap under the drywall and the carpet and flooring runs underneath.... weird, I know, but very clean lines. Instead of trying to hide a gap I just make more of it in the design. 

It is personal as you say, and thanks for putting in your opinion.
 bill


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## Trimguy

On the subject in question, if it were mine, I would eliminate the quarter round on the face entirely and just relieve the base mold to run the transition under it or butt it. 
I've always felt that moldings cover poor craftsmanship and prefer not to use them...
It is personal as you say, and thanks for putting in your opinion.
 bill[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more. I despise quarter round. Whenever I see it I start looking for the "reason" it was installed in the first place. I feel the same way about scribe. I do like some moldings and if you are going to go all out, go for it. It can really show some true craftsmanship. But quarter round and scribes show "crapsmenship" instead. I was thinking the same thing when I first looked at this. Eliminate the quarter round all together. But I didn't suggest that route because I thought it was the look he was desiring.:thumbsup:


"No matter how many times I cut it, I'm STILL too short!"


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## cabinetman

There's a few schools of thought on trim. Ultimately, unless you are restoring, or replicating for historic purposes, the client is always right. Of course, advice and suggestions can be made, but taste and likes/dislikes are a personal thing.

Commonly, shoe follows base moulding. Trim done without shoe may require scribing the bottom of the base, which I really don't like to do, but have done it. 

In this case, I don't care for the curved transition. I would rather see a ramp type transition. I believe it would be less obtrusive, and actually a safer transition for traffic. My opinion would be to use a base moulding that has an acceptable height that when it installed on the left side, is still tall enough on the right side to look in proportion. For example, whatever the transition is, add to the dimension the height that would look good on the right. That would be what the overall height of the base on the left.

I would like to see just the base scribed to the transition, or have it installed before adding the transition. At least if the transition butts to the base, it can be replaced more easily.












 







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## philp

I agree with the new posts that no shoe mold would be ideal, but this was replacing the old flooring and trying not to replace all of the baseboard. The new hardwood runs through the entry, diningroom and livingroom. Right now we aren't prepared to redo all the baseboards in those areas AND the nook and kitchen to keep an even level throughout. Maybe a future project....

Thanks for more food for thought!


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## clampman

I would remove all of that molding back to the next 2 corners. If the flooring stopped shy of the base, I'd just put something as thin and narrow as possible down flat. I've never seen base shoe with anywhere near that projection or size. 

Then when I had the money, I'd re-do all the base. 

Cheers,
Jim


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## Trimguy

clampman said:


> I would remove all of that molding back to the next 2 corners. If the flooring stopped shy of the base, I'd just put something as thin and narrow as possible down flat. I've never seen base shoe with anywhere near that projection or size.
> 
> Then when I had the money, I'd re-do all the base.
> 
> Cheers,
> Jim


Now THAT is the best idea yet! :thumbsup:


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## Ryan Connors

philp said:


> We replaced a carpeted floor with 3/4" hardwood and now the transition to a vinyl floor has us in a bind trying to figure out what to do with the shoe molding. I'm attaching a picture of our 'temporary' fix. Yeah, it looks pretty bad! We'll really appreciate any advice on how to deal with this. Thanks!


Buddy if you’re going to scribe that you need to take the whole piece and set your max distance on a scribe - from floor to a point along a line representing where the piece will be. If you scribe the full piece then both sides would be cut along a straight line (provided the longest distance isn’t thicker than the piece) I would brad nail the piece to the base to make the scribe line - x distance away and set the scribe to x to remove that amount. BAM dunzo


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## GeorgeC

Ryan, you did not notice that this thread is 10 years old.

gmc


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