Staining and Sealing Quarter Round
Quarter round is a finished piece of trim between the floor and the baseboard. This molding hides gaps and irregularities between the floor and walls and provides some protection from furniture and vacuums. Quarter round is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of wood whose cross-section is a quarter of a circle. It’s slightly different than shoe molding which is more oval shaped.
Staining Quarter Round to Match
My floor is Brazilian Walnut and I love the color variation. One reason I love the variation is because it’s easy to stain a different, less expensive, quarter round and not have to worry about an exact stain match.
I purchased Oak quarter round from a local lumber yard. It’s much less expensive than buying Brazilian Walnut quarter round from the distributor. Pine is another popular choice but the Oak grain pattern is more in line with my Walnut floor.
I selected a representative piece of floor and compared it to the Oak stain chart at the local Big Orange. Minwax English Chestnut was the winner. Next, I needed to buy polyurethane.
Selecting Polyurethane
Polyurethane can be used as a clear coat to seal and protect wood. It creates a hard, durable shield and adds a nice finish. Most polyurethane is available in several different sheens: gloss, semi-gloss, and satin. Gloss sheens are the most reflective while satin is the least. I chose a satin sheen, fast drying polyurethane.
How to Stain Quarter Round
I used the combination of a small roller and clean rag to apply the stain. I rolled the stain onto the wood and let it sit until it started to become tacky. It was quick and easy but also created small bubbles. I went over each piece with the rag next eliminating the bubbles and removing any excess. It took less than an hour to apply two coats to 100 linear feet. The quarter round is drying upstairs and it looks great. Tomorrow I polyurethane.
What do you think? Was this article helpful? Ever stain molding to match?
Comments & Conversation on this Article...
5 Responses to Staining and Sealing Quarter Round
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October 9th, 2008 8:59 am
Did you think about just painting the quarter round? I was thinking if it would be ok to just paint it, as I wasn’t sure it was worth staining and poly’ing. Do you think this would look odd?
October 9th, 2008 9:16 am
@Corey, painting it is another option but I really like the stained wood look. I think it looks better and will hold up better over time. I’ll try and post a few picture so you can get an idea of how it looks.
October 28th, 2008 1:30 am
Hey Ethan, can you post about the polyurethaning? (particularly how to secure the quarter round while working / fumes / etc) We have also just stained quarter round
Fred K
October 28th, 2008 7:40 am
@Fred K, I think I can put something together…..
November 3rd, 2009 9:19 pm
Well, this stain is beautiful. But I guess I’d have to get oak stain to match oak flooring. Still unsure whether to stain or paint. Since I have to stain one room to match the floor with the notty-pine paneling, I may lean towards staining them all. Glad I found this article too.