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I have some old skirting (I believe baseboard is the familiar term for most of you: the wood covering the join between my floor and walls).

The floor tiler failed to tell us that it could easily be removed before tiling and re-done afterwards (and should be if you want it to look good, which is obviously the point of getting new tiles). So now I have a very expensive and nice tile floor that looks a bit cheap and shoddy because the edges are a bit messy and the skirting is old (and uneven in places), and I can't remove it because the tile is holding it in.

How can I cover it up?

I'm imagining there is a product out there somewhere which is sort of a trim for concealing smaller old trim like mine. Looks just like largish trim but is "hollow" underneath, like in this ascii-art diagram:

WALL
:
:
:
:-------IMAGINARY CONCEALING TRIM
:\____ |
:__  | |
: |  | |
:.|..|_|.........FLOOR

 ^
 |
 OLD SKIRTING

Does anything like this exist?

Or any better solutions?

Update:
Quarter round has been mentioned, and that hides the bottom of the trim (skirting/baseboard), but I also need to hide the top (it's very uneven and clearly lower than in adjoining rooms).

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3 Answers 3

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6

I think this is a problem easily solved by Quarter round. Actually I think this is why quarter round was invented.

If the existing molding is small enough you could possibly cover it up, but it might look even worse if the original molding is too large because the cover would have to be bigger.

If you want to cover the original molding you could get larger molding, and using a router hollow out part of it so the old molding fits inside. Then simply nail it on.

Other than that you could always ask the tiler if he could fix the problem (at his own cost of course), because it sounds like he did not do a proper job. If you have not paid him, consider withholding the payment until the job is done properly.

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  • One of my options was something like that, but square to give a better look. It'll hide the tile edge nicely, but the old trim is still ugly, very uneven (at the top, so quarter round won't kide it), and clearly shorter than the rest of the house (as the tile is thick).
    – MGOwen
    Jul 30, 2010 at 1:27
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Remove the trim by seperating the trim from the wall using a paint scraper. If the trim won't slide up and away from the tile after it is seperated from the wall you will have to use a wood chisel to cut the trim right at the top height of the tile. Once the trim is seperated if there is a piece of trim between the tile floor and the wall that can't be lifted out just leave it there. Just make sure you use your chisel to cut the trim flush or below the height of the tile floor. Install new trim all around then add a shoe molding which comes in different sizes but the most common size at the local lumber yards will be 3/4" high by 1/2" thick. This molding will give your trim the thickness it needs to extend out over the new tile floor. Your trim will look great and be the same size as the trim in the rest of your house.

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  • 3
    +1. Pull the old trim, install new trim that is thick enough to make up the gap.
    – Alex Feinman
    Apr 7, 2011 at 20:12
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Lowe's sells moulding which covers old moulding. Pieces are 5.25 in. x 12 feet - $31 They also have 8 foot pieces but do not remember the price.

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