Hello Linda,

I have never heard of such a thing. Typically the trim guys will leave a gap under the baseboards for the flooring to tuck under, flooring never butts up against trim, even with a base shoe molding. But flooring guys typically can and do undercut the casings for flooring height.

Karen

I'm assuming that you are installing hardwood. If that is the case, then if you install the baseboards first, you have to have a gap between the wood and the baseboard for expansion. So, you will then need to put a base shoe on top of the wood flooring to hide that gap. It also seems like an awful lot of unnecessary cutting and trimming of the floor. I wouldn't worry about the baseboards getting ruined during finishing of the floors. Your flooring guys can certainly mask off the baseboards so they don't get overspray on them.

For what it's worth, DH and I installed the floors first, then the trim. I didn't want a base shoe and I also didn't want to loose an inch off the height of my baseboards. But, if your guy has been doing this for 30 years, I would assume he knows what he is doing.

Nope. Not a pro but common sense says otherwise. Follow your instincts and stand your ground ... get your flooring done first (and/or even consider finding someone else to do this work if you haven't paid this guy yet and/or are not under contract to use him.)

What type of flooring?

I just had baseboard milled that has a piece at the bottom that can be adjusted once the floor is in. The baseboard is being installed held up about a little over the 5/8 flooring and then after floor it will be scribed they have about 1/2 in to play with. I guess a better explanation is a 2 piece base so I don't have to use a shoe mold and it looks like a one piece.

Ask your guy if he can recommend someone who does it the other way.

Three things.

Baseboard before carpeting is normal because the carpeting can be tucked under the base.

Base before hard surface is not common because of the disparity between thicknesses of hard surface materials. Butting up to installed base means more molding has to be installed to cover the necessary gap mandated by flooring manufacturers for expansion.

Very often, base molding height is an integral part of the design of the room. I never saw/heard of base made with extra height to be cut off, before or after installation. That does not mean that type does not exist, but if the finished height needs to be balanced, it makes a difference how much is trimmed to allow for the flooring.

Now, as far as the door trim and frame, having the flooring installer trim those is fine. Reason? The door trim has to be installed to fit and cover the necessary gaps on the rough opening and the height is part of the design.

Makes little difference how long he has been installing base molding. The way he is doing it is not the best way. If the carpenter will not wait until the flooring is installed to install base molding, that person is not doing what you, the customer, wants and you will be better off hiring someone else.

In conjunction with all materials, I've always installed base first, flooring later but under the baseboard and to tight tolerances so that only a small shoe moulding is needed, if at all. But there's always more than one way to skin a mouse.

not a pro, but I would be unhappy with that solution. i don't like shoe molding. i feel it is an "excuse" for a poor installation job when installing a new floor. my neighbor recently had wood floors installed to replace tile, and the installer used shoe molding because he was, of course, in a hurry to finish and didn't want to deal with removing all the floor trim. at any rate, he used pretty big quarter round, and I think it looks like crap. ymmv

" ... because he was, of course, in a hurry to finish."

This is why he wants you to do baseboards first.

Second house with unfinished hardwood. Both times..install and finish hardwood first, hardwoods covered...then installation of base, the trim, doors, etc.

Crown was done before hardwoods.

I can’t imagine doing it any other way. But what do I know.

"Tight fit" installation can be done in certain areas and conditions. There are tricks of the trade for this type of installation to prevent expansion issues. You do want to avoid "tight fit" installations for properties with humidity issues, specifically water front properties.

He's been a hillbilly for 30 years. Floors, then baseboard. Geesh.

This has come up before and I remember the conclusion to be regional. Sure go ahead and complain and have subs do things different then they are used to - a recipe for problems and grumpy subs too.

In my neck of the woods (mixed humid NC) - baseboard before trim. Baseboard is installed high and wood is tucked slightly underneath.

Installing floor first means it is out there to get damaged by more people. In my area, nearly every trim crew smokes. I'd rather have burn marks on my subfloor....

But overall - I don't see that it makes a huge difference either way.

And your baseboards are not likely painted yet. Primed perhaps. But (again in my area) we paint later.

David:

Here in Florida, it does make a huge difference. These crackers install baseboard, then the hillbilly tilers fill the gap between the tile and baseboard with grout. This is not an approved method by the TCNA, believe me.

I used to get calls on "tenting" tiles all the time. Completely avoidable.

Wait a sec - using grout when you should use caulk has nothing to do with which is installed first.

Yeah, exposed caulk on a floor perimeter. Terrific idea. Not.

Especially when all you have to do is tile (leaving a 1/4" gap between the tile and wall), grout, then install baseboard to cover. No caulk anywhere and "tenting" chances diminished considerably.

Get a new trim guy . No way do baseboards go in before haed surface floor.

In my new house, the put the unfinished wood floor down, then did baseboard trim, and will sand and finish the floors with the trim installed. The builder would have preferred to site finish the floors before the trim was put on, but we did not get electric hookup until very late. I know the baseboard trim will likely need touching up in a few spots after the floors are finished, but the floors will now be one of the last things done, and should be in pristine condition for move in.

Little did I know I was a hillbilly incompetent for all those decades!

White baseboard directly on top of white tile/marble still leaves a black line at the intersection. Yes, we run a fine line of white caulk to remove that line. However, a dark baseboard over dark tile/stone/wood, baseboard alone is fine.

As for the horror of leaving a gap between hardwood and baseboard, that is to provide for the seasonal expansion of wood. If you're in a soggy Southern swamp, maybe not so much.

Massive quarter round at the junction of the flooring and baseboard is a feature of lower-end housing. However, shoe moulding is not quarter round. In our backwater burg of 5 million, doorstop is often used at the intersection of baseboard and flooring.

I choose to install baseboard first to avoid damage to the flooring as the one inevitable rule of sub-trade homebuilding is that subsequent trades have little regard for anything that has been done before them. It's easier to repair dinged baseboards than damaged flooring. But there's more than one way to skin....

Thank you all for the great advice!!! We have decided against the base going on before the flooring is installed~ Although we are going to do the doors and window casings. We are doing the home mostly ourselves and only have one contractor in at a time, for expertise work that we are not perfect at~

Our hardwood guy put this down over the whole house when he was done. When House is completely done he will touch up and use 2 more coats of finish. Hardwood was not started until tile was completed. No smoking in the house. I have not asked. They just don’t. Our builder and his subs are really good I think. So respectful and professional.

our house is taking forever but I guess I should not complain.

Linda..our guys did the window casing and crown but not the doors before the hardwood.

If its hardwood, then floor first on a new build.