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I live in a 13 year old tract home that came with carpet in the master bath. I've never liked the idea of carpet in a wet room, but didn't want to spend the money to do anything major. I picked out a vinyl remnant and paid about $130 to have it installed. Without giving any options, the installer put white vinyl top-set coved base where the vanity cabinets meet the floor. I think it looks cheap and tacky, but he said there really isn't any other option. Is this what I get for going with vinyl? Or is this what I get for having such a small job, that they probably didn't make much money off of? Should he have gone to the hardware store to get something better, or do they always just use whatever they have on the truck?
Cove base is mostly used in situations where you have a cement or brick wall.It is used a lot with VCT or vinyl tile in commercial type situations.
In bathrooms in homes it is rarely used but I have used it a couple times when it was an only option unless the homeowner specifically wanted it.
Based on what you said, it seems like shoe or quarter round molding is what should of been installed.That is what most installers will put there if the vanity or subfloor is wood.
Maybe the only thing he had on hand was the cove base and he wanted to get rid of it but who knows.Might just want to ask him about it because it does seem a little odd.
I live in a 13 year old tract home that came with carpet in the master bath. I've never liked the idea of carpet in a wet room, but didn't want to spend the money to do anything major. I picked out a vinyl remnant and paid about $130 to have it installed. Without giving any options, the installer put white vinyl top-set coved base where the vanity cabinets meet the floor. I think it looks cheap and tacky, but he said there really isn't any other option. Is this what I get for going with vinyl? Or is this what I get for having such a small job, that they probably didn't make much money off of? Should he have gone to the hardware store to get something better, or do they always just use whatever they have on the truck?
By top set coved base do you mean that 4" high flexable vinyl baseboard? This works ok in commercial applications but putting it in a residential home is something that only a dumb dumb will do.
The truth is no baseboard of any kind is needed if the vinyl installer knows what he is doing. It should be trimmed perfect to the ends and at most, just a bead of caulk is needed at the perimeter. Sounds like you hired the dumb dumbs at Home Depot. Quality and professional is not in their job description.
More attractive would have been some simple 3/4 shoe molding if the vinyl floor was installed poorly. Your problem now is if you feel like changing it out. The dope used lots of liquid nails and caulk to adhere it and that ain't coming off easily. He ruined your bathroom.
Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks Home Depot or Lowes employs something more then 6th grade dropouts.
By top set coved base do you mean that 4" high flexable vinyl baseboard? This works ok in commercial applications but putting it in a residential home is something that only a dumb dumb will do.
The truth is no baseboard of any kind is needed if the vinyl installer knows what he is doing. It should be trimmed perfect to the ends and at most, just a bead of caulk is needed at the perimeter. Sounds like you hired the dumb dumbs at Home Depot. Quality and professional is not in their job description.
More attractive would have been some simple 3/4 shoe molding if the vinyl floor was installed poorly. Your problem now is if you feel like changing it out. The dope used lots of liquid nails and caulk to adhere it and that ain't coming off easily. He ruined your bathroom.
Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks Home Depot or Lowes employs something more then 6th grade dropouts.
Yes, it appears to be what would be used in a commercial setting. I've never seen it in a house. No, it was not home depot or lowe's. The floor isn't what he was covering up. It was the not so perfect kick plate on the bottom of the cabinet that used to be covered with carpet. He offered to pull it off, but I would have to find something else to cover the imperfections and glue with, so I told him to leave it, since I wasn't sure I could do any better myself.
edit: OK, I looked up quarter round to see what it looks like. I'm not sure that would have covered the problem part of the cabinet
Your best option is to have cut the new vinyl floor in very tight like Desert sezs. Then you should have just used a nice strip of hardwood stained and finished to match the cabinet as a new kick plate. Can use some caulking before the installation to give the total seal between new kick plate
That solves both problems, appearance and covering up the seam of the vinyl. Something like 1/4" x 4" white or red oak ripped down to a very exact fit.
I never use any of that crap vinyl cove or even cheap wood moldings stuff. Even a small wood molding can look sort of tacky. Always a full hardwood plain strip. Looks nice and you can get it back off and reuse in future if the floor is replaced. Ain't that expensive a solution and you get a far better match to the cabinets. Can't tell it is there.
Might be something you can back fit now, depending on how bad it is messed up and how tight the cut in was. Never mess with amateurs for a good job. This solution is used so many times by just about anybody that knows how to do vinyl well. Basically you are getting a new kick plate, probably better than original. Vinyl seam in the area always will appear perfect. You have just added 1/4" more depth to the old cabinet kick plate.
I looked at the estimate again and it does indicate the type of cove base that was used, My fault for not looking at it more carefully. The owner of the company is a neighbor. I don't think they are amateurs. It looked like a pretty big operation to me. All I can think is that he knew we didn't want to spend a lot of money, and that is why he picked the base he did. Oh well.
I looked at the estimate again and it does indicate the type of cove base that was used, My fault for not looking at it more carefully. The owner of the company is a neighbor. I don't think they are amateurs. It looked like a pretty big operation to me. All I can think is that he knew we didn't want to spend a lot of money, and that is why he picked the base he did. Oh well.
You can easily take it out and add a wood trim yourself. It wouldn't cost you all that much money to do-you can buy the prefabricated trim at any lumberyard. I have done this in a couple bathrooms-the first was about 6x14 and the lumber probably cost under $30. The second bathroom the wood needed was only about 5' long on one wall-that was about $10 (wanted birch to match the rest of the house and it was 4" with a decorative trim). The only "hard" part is if you have to join corners but you can cheat on that and get the corner detail things (I can't remember what they are called) and you only have to butt the wood up to them, not miter out the corners.
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Use a hardwood...............
