dealing with wavy hardwood floors - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Mrmac204 · 08-25-2009, 09:29 AM

installing a lot of baseboard these days, largely due to the popularity of the new "snap together" hardwood (composite) flooring. this is good for me!!! lotsa work.
problem that I run into fairly often, is that the floor is wavy, or humped at at least one place on the runs. If its high in the middle, not problem, I "balance" the baseboard (so both ends are the same height above the floor) and then scribe with a pencil/scriber from the end to the other end. I then cut it almost to the line, then finish up with a sanding block.

what really causes me grief and time is when the two ends touch the floor, and the middle has a gap!!!! grrrrrr
so what I was trained to do was put a sacraficial piece in, scribe it- cut- then cut that piece off (up about 1/2") so now I've got a chunk of baseboard that's 1/2" high on each end, flat on top, and convex in the middle (to match the floor) next I take another piece of baseboard, also cut 1/2" off of that.
Now take my custom piece, and glue/pin it onto the second piece, then install in the room.
Way too much work!!!! if its 1/16th or so I would just ignore it, or caulk, but when the gap approaches 3/8" (or more) I have to do something.

what do you all do in situations like this? Sometimes if its MDF baseboard I can force it down a little bit, but with finger joint? it won't move hardly at all.

what I have done occasionally is trim both ends, but then the matching piece of baseboard is now too high, so I cut that on a taper - makes for an interesting cope! LOL there's gotta be a better way to do this!

thx

Laurie.

www.lauriescustomfinishing.ca

J F · 08-25-2009, 09:48 AM

shoe mould?

Mrmac204 · 08-25-2009, 02:28 PM

I do suggest shoe mould, yea. NOt every client likes that look though.

WarnerConstInc. · 08-25-2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrmac204

I do suggest shoe mould, yea. NOt every client likes that look though.

You should tell them it would be cheaper to put the shoe mold in, vs. screwing around with the wavey floors.

KMac · 08-25-2009, 04:33 PM

Shoe for sure - check the floor before when first looking at the job and just tell them the floor is way too far out to not have shoe and explain it'll wind up costing them more not to have it. I'm talking about extreme conditions - I've scribed my share of base to the floor with no shoe when that's what they want and it's feasible.

72chevy4x4 · 08-25-2009, 05:06 PM

I second shoe on a floor light that. I try hard not to use shoe, but sometimes the situation call for it. I've had luck pushing down on the high spot and nailing it down-not a half inch though. You could back cut the bottom/back of the base to weaken the wood then apply pressure down.

wannaBelkhuntin · 08-25-2009, 05:59 PM

I allways use shoe with laminate flooring, just because it moves so much. Make sure you nail the shoe into the base and NOT into the laminate.

Scribbles · 08-25-2009, 09:42 PM

I tape a piece of 1/4 to my pencil, then I scribe holding it up at the thickest place with another piece of 1/4 scrap. I use a 36 grit belt on the belt sander makes quick work of it.

1/2" or 3/4" will work just as well dosent matter. Hell I use 1 1/4" on my curved nosing.

sorethumbs · 08-26-2009, 12:27 PM

Is this just on one wall? Why not just start with that wall and scribe. Then rip all the rest to the new height established in the corners?

Mrmac204 · 08-27-2009, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorethumbs

Is this just on one wall? Why not just start with that wall and scribe. Then rip all the rest to the new height established in the corners?

hmm food for thought- I will try that. Like most construction projects, experience, and a bit of planning ahead of time can make all the diff.

On the last baseboard job (5 1/4" finger joint) the one section of the "front room" goes like this

from the sliding door (casing) 1' slightly downhill - 46 deg inside corner, meets 4' piece, humped in middle, 44 deg outside corner, meets 13" piece that "rises" almost 7/16" to wall. Meets the Next piece, 90 deg corner 13 1/2' long, I cut to match (7/16" off) to 1/4" to match the 4' piece (90 deg) that had to be trimed at both ends to allow for the "hollow" in the floor.
fortunately I love this work! it just took more time than I bid so

I didn't say anything though, a quote is a quote- experience! gonna go bid one friday afternoon, so I will take my laser with me to do some quick measuring (from the line down to the floor in several places) then I will be better able to figure out my time.

thanks!

Laurie

www.lauriescustomfinishing.ca

tccoggs · 08-27-2009, 11:09 AM

I have a customer that demands the best quality no matter what, so shoe was out of the question. I placed a rotary laster in the middle of the room, found the low and high points, took the delta, set the scribe and scribed every piece. Sure it was alot of work and not everyone is willing to pay for it, but it looks perfect.

Young_Buck · 09-16-2009, 10:55 PM

This one's easy. Go to the lumber yard, and look for the really badly crowned sticks.

Jeffrey Watson · 10-26-2009, 12:12 AM

Install base shoe. The whole reason behind base shoe is to hide the gaps. They have be installing it sinse the early 1900's. Its why they make it. If the HO does not like it, charge to scibe in the base. why would he not like it,this is the norm. What are we going to hang doors upside down now because of these finicky designers. Also once you scribe the baseboard and he doesn't like some of the gaps you tried like hell to correct, Then What.