Painting vs. Staining Quarter Round & Shoe Molding Trim
We’ve written a fair amount of the past two weeks about installing baseboard and quarter round for hardwood floors. One recurring question from fellow DIYers tackling this project is whether you should lay quarter round that matches the wood floor or just paint the quarter round white to match the baseboard.
While there’s no hard and fast rule on this, here’s our thoughts on it:
If you are laying quarter round or shoe molding on hardwood floors, you should lay a quarter round or shoe molding that matches the floor wood grain & stain. Most folks know that hardwood flooring companies generate a lot of profit from trim pieces. If you want to avoid paying the high price for matching trim, but still want a clean, finished look, consider buying unfinished trim pieces at your local big box and staining the to match your prefinished floor. This will save you 50-75% off buying matching trim, and you likely won’t be able to tell the difference (especially if your hardwoods are oak or pine, which are readily available in unfinished trim at home improvement stores).
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. One exception to this rule is when a ceramic or vinyl floor sits next to a room with hardwood and the quarter round continues from a hardwood area to a tiled area. Another exception would be when the baseboard is an authentic stained wood itself, in which case the quarter round should be stained to match the baseboard molding. The reason for painting the trim white is that a stained quarter round tends to draw the eye to the corner of the floor, instead of framing the floor itself. Stained quarter round on tile floors serve more as a distraction than an accent.
As I said, there’s no hard and fast rule for this. Some people prefer painted quarter round even on hardwoods. Lay some sample pieces in your own room before making a decision.
What do you think? Which option did you choose in your room?
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13 Responses to Painting vs. Staining Quarter Round & Shoe Molding Trim:
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November 6th, 2008 7:50 am
Here in New England it’s traditionally painted to match the baseboard. The reason for this is the shoe mold is actually considered to be part of the “base” trim assembly.
Then again….we’re pretty old fashioned up here
November 6th, 2008 9:37 am
I’m leaning toward painting it white to match the baseboard too. From a money and time perspective, I think it’s the right choice.
November 6th, 2008 9:50 am
We painted ours to match the baseboards also when we tore up the carpet to reveal the hardwood underneath.
To me it looks like the floor is going up the walls if it’s stained.
I like Todd’s explanation that if painted it’s one cohesive unit.
(I actually wondered what you were doing when I saw your picture a while back!)
November 6th, 2008 11:02 am
Hahaha. Three nays for our preferred treatment! You guys are terrible! Anyhow, it is certainly an opinion matter, and in many cases white will yield you a quicker, cheaper install. Nonetheless, we still like the quarter round to match the floor. Maybe we’ve fallen prey to hardwood flooring companies’ marketing
November 6th, 2008 12:22 pm
Sorry, Fred. i’m in the majority, too!
When I put laminate in the dining room and livingroom last year, I had to get quarter-round to put over the laminate. (It was carpeted before that.)
Bought pine and painted it the color of the baseboard which is a very pale yellow.
November 6th, 2008 12:40 pm
I prefer the quarter round to match the baseboards, no matter what color they are! Otherwise, it doesn’t quite look right…
November 6th, 2008 1:24 pm
Fred….at least the hardwood flooring guys will be happy. The one thing I will say about painted vs stained, painted shoe molding does get dinged and marked up easier than stained molding. However, I still choose painted because of my conservative/traditional architectural preferences.
November 7th, 2008 11:02 am
First I want to say a HUGE thank you for all your hard work on this blog….I love it! Now, I am going to have to go with the majority and disagree with you and say it looks wrong…sorry, I really do love you anyway.
November 7th, 2008 11:19 am
I am just blown away. I had no idea how popular it was to paint the quarter-round. Obviously I am in the minority (the picture is from my house), but I really like the way it looks. I wonder if it’s somewhat of a regional thing?
Kara, thanks for the compliment. Glad you enjoy the site.
December 2nd, 2008 12:01 pm
If the floor is dark walnut, the kitchen cabinets are golden oak and the baseboard is painted white, should I paint the quarter round against the baseboard white and stain the quarter round under the kitchen cabinets? If so, should I stain that quarter round the color of the cabinets or the floor?
December 2nd, 2008 1:52 pm
@Donna, Did you put walnut in your kitchen? Or are these different rooms?
It depends on how each room is connected. If the quarter-round is separated by things like door-jams it’s easy to paint one area and stain another. If the quarter-round flows from one room to the next, I think painting it all white is the way to go. It provides consistency between the rooms.
If your kitchen has walnut floors I would paint the quarter-round white to match the baseboard rather than highlight one stain over the other.
Try out the different scenarios to make sure you like the end result.
December 17th, 2008 11:00 pm
I guess I’m in the minority too! I love the stain grade so much, I’m getting ready to do it in my house!! Thanks for all the comments. Oh, I’m in Texas, maybe that accounts for my taste.
December 31st, 2008 2:08 am
I have both the white and matching quarter round for hardwood as it seeems I have different tastes in different rooms. Frankly, I prefer the quarter round to match the solid 3/4 hardwood floors or to be a shade darker. I say it is up to you.
Just like some like a brad nailer for quarter round, I use a stud finder and a finish nailer.
It is your home. Do what you like and what you feel comfortable with and have the time to do.
White quarter round does have an advantage if your other molding is white. It is easier paint the molding above the quarter round without being an expert painter.