Shoe Molding At Bottom Of Tile Wall

Shoe molding is often attached to the bottom of the baseboard to conceal these small gaps.

Shoe molding at bottom of tile wall.

You should fasten shoe molding using an 18 gauge finish nailer with 1 inch nails. Molding can be bought in long pieces with any number of designs cut into it and is relatively easy to install. A true base shoe is taller than it is wide enabling it to conceal a large vertical gap without appearing chunky. Use it in the right proportions.

As long as the shoe mold matches the baseboards not the flooring it looks more finished. Using shoe mold allows you to caulk between the tile and the baseboard without the caulking showing and covers up any slight imperfections and unevenness between the flooring and the boaseboards. In my house the quarter round was nearly half as tall as the base molding which looked really silly. Shoe molding at first glance appears to be the same as quarter round.

16 gauge nails are likely to split shoe molding and will be more easily visible on the small surface. The only caveat to installing shoe molding is that the bottom of the baseboard must be flat to accept the molding. Wall molding is used along the top and bottoms of walls to improve appearance along the floor and ceiling by adding a subtle attractiveness to the transition area between the wall and where it meets the floor or ceiling. Instead of quarter round use something with a more interesting shape like shoe molding.

Tool to cut baseboard and shoe molding. Shoe molding should be tacked to the baseboard not the floor which inhibits floor expansion beneath the shoe molding. For example if you want to install standard inch high shoe molding the lower. Yet when you look at shoe molding from the side you can see that its height is greater than the length that it protrudes from the wall.