I'm installing mahogany stained bamboo flooring in my condo, with 5.25" baseboard molding. I think the larger baseboard looks good as I have vaulted ceilings.

My question is to use shoe molding that is either:
1) Painted to match the baseboard, or
2) Stained mahogany to match the flooring

Which do you think looks better?

 

The trim gets painted the same color as the wall or an offsetting color like white.

You've got to live with it.... the choice is more want you want to look at.

 

About 80% done replacing 3 rooms of carpet, we went with matching qtr round.

There is no "wrong" choice!

 

Sorry, IMO, Pete is right. All the trim should match. That said, I had poorly (builder) stained pine trim in my house in VA. When I put in Pergo in one room, I had to decide whether to match the trim or one of the two colors in the floor (it was sort of a dark early American color with dark reddish diamonds every 10" or so). I wound up staining the luaun (or some other cheap wood with a very straight grain) shoe to the darkest color as I could, to come close to the diamonds. Since they weren't right next to each other it really looked pretty good and divided the base from the slightly darker floor while complimenting both.

Since you have pre-finished bamboo flooring, where would you find bamboo shoe to keep the grains similar if you stained? Hickory might work but it's expensive, and I don't know how it stains. Pine and oak would seem to have larger different patterned grain.

In your case I'd paint to match the base.

 

I'd also paint the shoe mold to match the baseboard. On every new house I've painted I've always done it that way unless instructed otherwise. Priming and applying the 1st coat of enamel on the shoe mold before installation makes the job easier/quicker. A mini roller works great for that.

Marq is correct that there isn't a rule stating what gets done but most [including me] prefer for the shoe to match the woodwork.

 

I don't install floors but see a lot of it being installed while I'm there on the job doing other things.

I see mostly quarter round that matches the floor. I think it looks better, although I could go either way.
I think the darker shoe helps to hide any slight gaps between the floor and the bottom of the shoe, white tends to highlight the minor variations and dirt.

 

Usually it matches the base, but there is no wrong answer. The best choice is whatever you like.

 

Stained baseshoe makes sense if the painter is done or is not coming back. Otherwise painted baseshoe gets caulked in and needs another coat of paint.

Personally I would go with painted... I think it looks better against the other painted trim. If you have stained cabinetry somewhere else, that baseshoe would look best if it was stained.

 

I have to agree about the wood grain pattern. The pine shoe mold that I stained mahogany does not match the bamboo strand grain. It looks OK, but I'm leaning more to the painted shoe mold to match the baseboard.

I think someone mentioned that shoe mold is a vertical element like the baseboard and wall so it should be the same as the other vertical elements, vs the floor which is horizontal. Of course, it comes down to just a matter of personal preference. No right or wrong answer.

In my side-by-side photo, I think I'm leaning more to the painted shoe mold. Plus I'll save a few bucks by buying primed MDF shoe mold vs pine. Saving money might be the thing that tilts me one way.

 

While it may take some trial/error and expertise you can stain the pine shoe mold to match the color of most any flooring. Generally the grain differences aren't a big deal since the shoe is so narrow.

If you go with painted shoe mold be sure to get one coat of finish on it before you install it as that will make the final coat easier/quicker and since you don't have to paint all the way to the floor it makes keeping errant paint off of the flooring easier.

 

And to think I ripped up and threw out all the painted shoe throughout the the rest of the house and replaced with oak because we thought it was a great improvement. When will we learn! hahaha

 

IMO if oak shoe mold is used it should be stained to match the floor. ..... and unless you were extra careful and a little lucky I suspect you damaged the old shoe mold during removal.

As stated before there isn't a right/wrong answer, just what is most commonly done AND you and yours are the only ones living in your house so if y'all are happy - who cares what others think!

 

FWIW, I agree with Handy and Marksr. I like the match to the floor.

 

Since we've beat this one up pretty good I'm going to introduce another variable!

Whats the opinion when you have cabinets?

I dont recall how this was done at our other houses but the builder installed matching qtr moldings on all the cabinets!

Ignore the short base, that was my builders great idea to solve the interference to the door rather than installing a filler piece off the wall, what a moron!

 

The shoe matching the cabinets would have been fine if the shoe at the baseboard was painted. Probably not a big deal though because your eyes are normally way above the toe kick

Was the shoe at the toe kick installed by the cabinet guy?

 

The color of the shoe should transition at the corner... painted on the painted baseboard and stained on the stained toe kick.

 

I agree with X. I said before I like the stained quarter round, but not in a case like this.
There's too many colors going on.

 

Even though I started this thread soliciting opinions of stained vs painted shoe, I think in this case there's too many colors going on. For me, I'd probably say painted shoe on the base to match the base, stained shoe on the kick to match the cabinet kick (as you have now). The other option would be stained shoe to match the floor on both the base and the cabinet kick.

My reasoning is "verticals vs horizontals". The cabinet kick and shoe are vertical so they both get the same color (as you have now). The base and the shoe are vertical so they both get the same color as the base.

I have no idea what I just said.

 

I would appreciate you repeating that last comment, obviously you should just do what the he!! you want to do because no matter what somebody will have a different opinion!

 

You mean base-shoe, not quarter-round, right? Keep quarter-round away from base trim, it stands out like a sore thumb, and a very common DIY'er mistake since they look similar.

 

IMO the only time to use quarter round instead of shoe molding is to hide a gap that the shoe won't cover ..... probably why most of us view quarter round as a cover up or put down by a non pro.

 

My house is over 100 years old and the oak floors have 1/4 round on all the walls. I have never worked In an old house that had anything but original 1/4 round with the original wood floors.

 

If the flooring is new and just installed, I shoot for oak shoe molding stained to match the floor. Much prefer the look of the shoe matching the floor vs the painted shoe matching the trim. Have stained miles of shoe and only painted a few. But to each his own....