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Finishesaka: shoe moldingaka: base shoe

Quarter Round

In Plain English

A small rounded trim piece that covers the gap between the baseboard and the floor.

Definition

Quarter round is a small molding with a cross-section shaped like one-quarter of a circle, installed at the base of a baseboard to cover the gap between the baseboard and the floor. It accommodates minor irregularities in the floor surface and provides a clean finished transition. Quarter round is commonly used with hardwood, laminate, and vinyl flooring installations.

Why It Matters in Bidding

Quarter round is a small but high-frequency finish item, and on large flooring jobs its linear-foot quantity, miter cuts, and installation labor add up across every room perimeter. Estimators who forget to take off shoe molding or underestimate its labor can erode margin on finish carpentry, since the trim and its painting or staining are often overlooked relative to the flooring itself.

Example

After pricing the laminate, the estimator added 1,180 linear feet of quarter round around every room perimeter, including waste for miter cuts, to the finish carpentry bid.

Related Terms

BaseboardTrimFlooringMillwork

Frequently Asked Questions

Quarter round has a symmetrical quarter-circle profile, equal in height and depth. Base shoe, often called shoe molding, is taller than it is deep, giving a more delicate profile against the baseboard. Both cover the floor gap, and the terms are frequently used interchangeably in takeoffs and supplier catalogs.
Floating floors like laminate and engineered vinyl require an expansion gap left at the walls. Quarter round is installed last to conceal that gap while still allowing the floor to move underneath. It is nailed to the baseboard rather than the floor, so the flooring can expand and contract without buckling.
Estimators take off quarter round by the linear foot, summing the perimeter of each room minus door and cased openings. A waste factor, often 10 to 15 percent, is added to cover miter cuts and short offcuts. Labor is priced per linear foot, separately from the flooring installation it accompanies.

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