*
I have just finished laying oak flooring in my family room and have a trim dilemna. I want to add moulding (shoe?) around the base of a brick hearth. The hearth is approx 5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 1 foot high with radiused corners. I have experimented with “bendable” moulding, but the fit was poor due to unevenness in the curve. Any suggestions on the best method for trimming this beast, i.e., wood selection, adhesive? I have thought of laminating thin strips but I believe that the glue lines would be unsightly when I route a profile. I may be in over my head, but my pride won’t let me give up just yet.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Listeners write in about continuing education, minisplit heat pumps, compact home shops, and building science.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
How "tight" is the radius of the corner, & what size shoe molding are you trying to apply?
*
My vote is to laminate. I had to bend some 3/4" thick cherry base molding, and did so by laminating. For a good discussion of which glues are best - won't creep, take stain well, machine easily, etc. - see the current issue of Fine Woodworking (a companion Taunton mag). I've been playing with wood for 30 years and couldn't believe the variety of glues available, each with specific properties. The experts even blend them like a bartender to enhance certain properties. Great article.
*Dave,Visible gluelines can be avoided. After ripping your stock, run the strips through a thickness planer or sander to clean up and flatten the faces. Regular carpenter's glue is fine. When gluing up, clamp the pieces into a slightly tighter radius than you want to end up with, to compensate for "spring back" when you remove the clamps.Steven
*Good advice Joe!Louis
*Thanks. I wish that I had found this site much earlier in my remodel. There is alot to be said for learning from your own mistakes, but some professional advice would have saved me more time than I care to admit! Now, instead of giving me a curious look and shaking her head as she walks away, my wife will probably expand her "wish" list of improvements. All this fun and a PAYCHECK too?! Man, where do I sign up? :-)
*
I have just finished laying oak flooring in my family room and have a trim dilemna. I want to add moulding (shoe?) around the base of a brick hearth. The hearth is approx 5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 1 foot high with radiused corners. I have experimented with "bendable" moulding, but the fit was poor due to unevenness in the curve. Any suggestions on the best method for trimming this beast, i.e., wood selection, adhesive? I have thought of laminating thin strips but I believe that the glue lines would be unsightly when I route a profile. I may be in over my head, but my pride won't let me give up just yet.