Do you have to take off baseboards to refinish hardwood floors

As a general rule, we recommend leaving your base and shoe on when having your floors refinished, especially if it is painted. Depending on how the painters prepped your base, you can actually cause more damage to the base and walls by removing it.

Do you have to remove baseboards before installing hardwood floors?

A: It is not absolutely necessary to remove baseboards to install new hardwoods, but remember that wood floors require an expansion gap of 1/2 inch along the surrounding walls to accommodate expansion and contraction with changes in moisture and humidity.

How much does it cost to refinish 1000 square feet of hardwood floors?

Flooring square footageAverage cost100 – 250 sq. ft.$600251 – 500 sq. ft.$750501 – 750 sq. ft.$1,601751 – 1000 sq. ft.$2,100

Do you have to move everything out to refinish hardwood floors?

Access to Flooring Furniture should be removed if all floors in a house must be refinished. Moving the furniture from room to room is difficult and time-consuming. Instead, removing the furniture from the house requires only two moves, instead of constant shifting throughout the refinishing process.

Do you install baseboards before or after hardwood flooring?

Baseboards are often installed before flooring, although it depends on the type of flooring being used. It is necessary for carpeting to have the trim in place, allowing the edges to be tucked under and out of sight. However, for hardwood or laminate, it is easier to install the trim after.

Are baseboards necessary?

Baseboards Protect Against Water Damage: Because of their material, drywall is susceptible to moisture damage. Without baseboards, moisture spilled on the floor could easily penetrate the drywall, expanding upward and creating unsightly damage. … Baseboard is necessary to cover the gaps.

What comes first flooring or baseboard?

Baseboards are usually installed before flooring with a reservation gap left at the bottom of the baseboards for the flooring to be slid underneath. The gap left under baseboards for flooring is dependent on the width of the flooring being installed.

Do you have to use quarter round with hardwood floors?

Answered by ContractorDon: He may be trying to speed up the process of laying the floor, yes you do need expansion room for the flooring to expand but between the space normally there where the sheetrock meets the wall and the baseboard it should be enough without the 1/4 round.

How far off floor should baseboard be?

If you plan to install baseboard moulding before adding carpet, it needs to be installed 1 inch above floor level to allow room for both pad and carpet. If adding baseboards after carpet is laid, it should be installed at the same height as without carpet.

Can you stay in home during floor refinishing?

Area rugs are to stay off for SEVERAL months (many refinishers will tell you to leave the rugs off the floor for 6 months or more). As you can see, all of this adds up to the decision to leave the home (overnight stays) during work and while the floor is curing/off-gassing.

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Can you stay in house while floors are refinished?

The strong scent of polyurethane and stain lingers in the atmosphere for very long and can kick-start a migraine any time or all the time. Even if it’s not causing migraines, it’s still uncomfortable to live in a house where the floor is being refinished and there are strong odors in the air.

When can you walk on hardwood floors after refinishing?

How long do I have to wait to use my room after my floors are refinished? We recommend waiting 6 hours before walking on your new floors in socks. After 24 hours you can walk through with shoes on. Allow 48 hours before setting furniture and returning pets.

Is it cheaper to replace or refinish hardwood floors?

In general, it will almost ALWAYS be less expensive to refinish your hardwood floors. If you replace them, you need to pay for additional wood as well as ripping up and hauling away existing hardwood. … Even if you have this, it will still be less expensive then replacing the whole floor.

How often should hardwood floors be refinished?

A solid hardwood plank at least 3/4 inches thick will likely need to be refinished four to six times during its total lifespan. It’s commonly accepted that you refinish every seven to ten years. Important note: some hardwood is only 1/4 inches thick. In this case, a refinish could strip away all traces of the floor.

Can you refinish hardwood floors yourself?

Learning how to refinish hardwood floors can be a time-intensive process that involves multiple steps. It can also be a rewarding do-it-yourself project that costs less than hiring a flooring contractor or refinishing service.

Does flooring have to go under baseboards?

Most flooring applications do not require you to remove existing baseboards. However, you may choose to remove the baseboards and replace them at the same time as flooring installation if you want to switch to a different baseboard height or change the style to match the overall look of your remodel.

Should baseboards match floor or trim?

If you plan to let the wood show, you should choose trim of the same species and color as your flooring. Another option is to paint the baseboard and shoe molding before installation. This frees you to select a complementary color without worry about matching the flooring.

When should baseboards be installed?

Baseboards are often installed before flooring, since they must be finished in place with either stain or paint and this is much easier without worrying about staining the hardwood, tile or carpet.

Should baseboards touch the floor?

Baseboards should only touch the floor if you have no plans to carpet your floors and if you’ve already finished installing your other flooring. If you have yet to install the rest of your floor, carpet or otherwise, you’ll need to take into account the height of the installed flooring.

Are baseboards required by code?

Baseboards aren’t something you generally think about with codes, but there is some relation—just ask plumbers. Pipes that run through wall plates and studs typically require large holes, which don’t leave a lot of wood between the pipes and the drywall.

Do modern houses have baseboards?

Some of the most striking, modern aesthetics include no baseboard at all. Baseboards help to transition floor materials to wall materials and hide unsightly lines. Eliminating baseboards from your interior decor requires more installation labor and skill.

Can you skip baseboards?

You do not need baseboards in a bathroom if the finishing of the room is extremely well done. Baseboards are used to create a tight-fitting joint between the wall and the floor and are the best option, but if the room’s construction is nearly flawless, you can do without them.

Do baseboards keep bugs out?

Gaps and cracks around baseboards give insects an easy way into your walls where they can build nests and eat away at the structure of your home unseen. Caulk on both the top and bottom edge of the baseboards closes the gaps to keep the bugs out.

How much space should be between hardwood floors and baseboards?

The Standard If you are just replacing the baseboards without flooring in place, then most contractors will ask you to give them between ⅜ and ½ inch of room between the subfloor and the baseboards. This will allow them the room they need to tuck your flooring underneath the baseboards.

How do you fill gaps between baseboard and floor?

Choose a high-quality latex painter’s caulk.
Adhere painter’s tape on the tile along the baseboard.
Caulk the gap between the baseboard and tile.
Smooth the caulk with a caulking tool or by hand.
Remove the painter’s tape.

Do you install baseboards before vinyl plank flooring?

As a general rule, baseboard is installed after the floor is installed, which makes covering the vinyl planks easy. However, door casings and jambs are often installed before a floor, which means you need to undercut the jambs/casing.

Should your quarter round match floor or baseboard?

If you are laying quarter round on a ceramic, vinyl, or stone tile floor, you should paint the quarter round to match the baseboard molding. The most common trim color is white, and so this most often will lead to a white quarter round trim.

Can I use quarter round instead of baseboard?

Sure, you can use quarter round without a baseboard as long as the crack you’re covering stays behind the quarter round. It is a plain, simple, clean look.

What is the difference between shoe Moulding and quarter round?

Shoe molding is much the same as quarter round, having the same 90° angle on the backside but instead of being a perfect quarter radius, its profile is a bit more squat. The main use for shoe molding is to run along the intersection of the baseboard and floor.

Can you sleep in your house after staining floors?

If your hardwood floors have been sanded and finished with Bona Mega Clear HD, it is safe to sleep in the home about 2-3 hours after the project is finished, but again, only if there are other rooms that have not been robbed of their furniture – furniture should stay off floors for at least 24 hours after ANY project …