Dos & Don'ts with Hardwood
Moldings
The following guidelines are presented as an overview of steps the
installer can take to assure the hardwood molding installation goes
well. These "dos and don'ts" have been gathered from the experiences
of many installers across the country and can help to assure your
installation goes well.
Prefinished moldings must be handled carefully to avoid chipping and
marring of the face. Moldings must be pre-drilled to avoid splitting
whenever they are to be secured with nails or fasteners. Avoid
splits in moldings by controlling the size of the fastener and its
proximity to the end of a cut or the edge of the molding. If a
pneumatic nail gun is to be used, test it on a scrap molding before
the installation to assess possible damage due to fastening. The
tool of choice for cutting hardwood moldings is a 10 or 12 inch
motorized miter saw with :pre-set adjustments for the basic miter
cuts at 22.5°, 45° and 9O°. A carbide tipped blade makes the best
cuts. Always use miter cuts rather than butt cuts when splicing.
Decide the direction of the miter by cutting the molding with the
long point oriented in the same direction as your natural line of
vision when you enter the room. When installing Wall Base molding,
eliminate the need to putty holes on the molding by placing the
bottom nail below the finished line of the Quarter Round molding. On
Wall Base or Quarter Round moldings, never restrict the hardwood
floors natural contraction/expansion movement by driving the
fasteners at a downward angle. Rather, attach the moldings to the
wall or vertical surface
Installation Applications - Instructions -
Helpful Tips for Installing Different Type of Molding
~~~Wall Base Moldings With A Glue Down/Nail Down Floor
Application- Borders the wood
floor at the base of the wall to give the room a finished look.
This molding conceals the required expansion space between the
wall and the hardwood flooring. It is also sometimes used under
cabinet toe kicks.
Installation - Wall Base moldings should be installed
alter the hardwood floor is in place You must make allowances
for an expansion space between the floor and wall in accordance
with the hardwood flooring manufacturer's recommendations. The
molding should be fastened to the wall (not the subfloor) to
assure that the contraction or expansion space for the floor is
not restricted (See Fig. A). Pre-drill the molding to avoid
splitting. Artistic Finishes Wall Base moldings are eight feet
long to ensure minimal splices. This length also helps to assure
that splicing joints will be on a stud.
Helpful Tip:
If the expansion space between the wall and the hardwood floor
is wider than the Wall Base molding, you will need to use an
Artistic Finishes Quarter Round or Base Shoe molding to complete
the job. In this case, place the lower nail securing the Wall
Base molding below the finished line of the Quarter Round or
Shoe Base molding. By doing this, the Quarter Round molding will
cover the lower nail in the Wall Base molding and avoid the need
to putty the lower nail holes.
~~NOTE: Artistic Finishes, Inc. has
authorized the reprint of the following Guide for the Installation
and Maintenance of Hardwood Moldings, including graphics herein.
