Sawdust on the Floor

Do me a favor, take a half hour and watch any of the homes for sale on the DIY channels. In almost every one of them some will always say one of the following two things, “Wow, I love the crown molding” or “Wow, I love those hardwood floors”. And if you have ever looked at a new home, I am sure either you or your spouse has uttered something along those lines.

Believe me , I share those feeling.  A properly installed hardwood floor and crown molding can vastly improve the look of any room. But it is also fair to say that improperly installed flooring or crown molding, will stick out like the preverbial sore thumb. Once noticed, you see it every time you walk into that room.

You all know what I am talking about. Not only as woodworkers, but as just normal people (Not to say that woodworkers are not normal) we learn by observing. You look to see how someone else handled a particular problem. If their solution is better then ours then you try to emulate that solution.

For me I hate to go into any home, particularly a upscale home and see poorly or improperly installed molding. We recently visited a family friend’s home, and he was showing us the new ceramic floor that had been installed in his kitchen. The tile was beautiful, and really added a dramatic punch to the kitchen. However, the finish work was a disappointment.

Where the tile met the trim on the doors, the installer had tried to cut the tile to match the profile of the trim. The result was a very jagged edge on the tile, and an uneven gap between the tile and the door trim. This area he filled with grout. For me, every time I went into that room, that joint would scream out to me “LOOK AT ME”.

It doesn’t matter if you are installing a hardwood floor or floor tile. There is one simple rule that needs to be observed, the floor material goes under the door trim. That way any uneven edge on the flooring material is covered by the door casing material. Grout or caulk should not be used to cover large gaps.

And the sad thing is that it is really easy to install the flooring material under the door trim. No, you don’t have to take it out and cut off a length. All you need is a Flush Cutting Trim Saw, and a piece of the floor material. Take a piece of the flooring material, place it upside down on the floor next to the door trim and cut across the top of the material. Simply follow along the top of the material. It is the correct thickness, and if the floor is uneven, the piece will follow the contour of the floor. Once you have cut thru the trim, simply knock it out with a chisel and you’re done, a nice clean, professional looking job.

You use the back of the floor material so your saw blade doesn’t scratch it up. Some people prefer to use an Offset Saw instead of the Flush Cutting Trim Saw. They fear that your cut can wander around with the flexible trim saw. I happen to have one of each, and have not seen that problem. So use your own judgment, see what works for you.

The important thing is that we pay attention to the details. Just like that old idiom that “God is in the details” or if you prefer “The Devil is in the details”. Either way, the message is the details are important. Funny thing about the above tile job, I suspect that it took a lot longer to do the job the incorrect way than it would have to have done it correctly.

No related posts.