Hardwood Floor Installation in Kennesaw, GA

Two floors made from the same boards can look very different depending on how the edges are finished. In hardwood floor installation in Kennesaw, we treat trim, hearths, stair edges and transitions as part of the design, not as leftovers once the rows of boards are nailed down.

This page goes through those edge details for solid hardwood, the checks made before installation, and how a proposal should separate the base job from optional upgrades.

Shoe molding, quarter round or new baseboard

Solid wood needs an expansion gap at the walls, and something has to cover it. Shoe molding is a slim, slightly taller profile that sits neatly against the baseboard. Quarter round is a true quarter circle, a little bulkier, and common where a gap is wider. Some homeowners skip both by removing the baseboards, installing the floor and resetting the baseboards low enough to hide the gap on their own.

Color is a choice too. Painting the shoe molding to match the baseboard makes the trim read as one piece, while staining it to match the floor makes the floor appear to run right up to the wall.

Hearths, islands and other fixed edges

Wherever the floor meets something that does not move, it stops short and the gap is covered. Against a raised fireplace hearth, an end cap or reducer gives a clean edge. Around a flush hearth, a border of boards running around its perimeter, sometimes called a picture frame, looks deliberate. At kitchen cabinets and islands, the boards run to the toe kick and a small molding finishes the joint.

Closets, columns and built-in shelving get the same treatment. Planning these edges in advance means the right moldings are ordered with the flooring.

Stair edges and landings

The edge of a stair landing is often the most visible edge in the house. Stair nosing comes in two main styles: an overlap nosing that sits on top of the floor’s last row, and a flush nosing installed level with the boards for a smoother look. Either way, it must align with the board rows and the first tread below and leave room for movement behind it.

Transitions and finish choices

The finish choice, board direction and transition profiles should be settled as a set. With prefinished boards, moldings come from the manufacturer’s matching line. With site-finished boards, unfinished moldings are stained and coated alongside the floor. Board direction affects how each threshold and nosing lines up, which is why it belongs in the same discussion.

Checks before installation

Before installation, humps and dips in the subfloor are corrected, each door is checked for clearance over the new floor and the neighboring floors are measured. Baseboard decisions are made with moisture readings in hand, and a wet reading at an outside wall is investigated before new trim covers it.

We also mark the expansion space at each hearth, island and column, so those gaps are planned rather than improvised, and confirm that the boards have reached the moisture range the manufacturer sets before nailing starts.

Base scope versus upgrades

A proposal should keep three things apart: the base scope, optional upgrades and repairs prompted by what turns up after tear-out. Reinstalling existing baseboard and adding shoe molding is often in the base scope, while new baseboard, flush-mount vents, a hearth border or a custom stain may be listed as upgrades. It should also state who supplies each material, how protection and cleanup are handled and when added work needs your approval.

Kennesaw is in Cobb County, and permits in the city go through the City of Kennesaw Building Services office. When a floor project expands to include structural, plumbing or electrical changes, that office is the place to ask whether a permit is needed. For slab rooms, see our engineered hardwood installation page.

Questions about trim and edge details

What is the difference between shoe molding and quarter round?

Both cover the expansion gap where the floor meets the baseboard. Shoe molding is slimmer and slightly taller than it is deep, so it sits close to the baseboard and looks more refined. Quarter round is a true quarter circle, bulkier but able to cover a wider gap. Either can be painted to match the baseboard or stained to match the floor.

How does hardwood finish against a fireplace hearth?

The boards stop short of the hearth to leave expansion space, and that edge is covered. A raised hearth usually gets an end cap or reducer molding. A hearth set level with the floor often gets a border of boards running around it, which frames it neatly. The molding is milled to match the floor’s species and finish.

Is new baseboard part of the base job or an upgrade?

That depends on the proposal, which is why it should be written out. Commonly, removing and reinstalling the existing baseboard with new shoe molding is part of the base scope, while new baseboard is priced as an option. If your current trim is damaged or dated, replacing it during the floor project is often simpler than doing it later.

Plan your floor’s details

Call 404-409-4448 to describe the rooms in your Kennesaw home and the trim, hearths or stairs the new floor will meet. We can come out to measure and then itemize the estimate, edge details included.