Should Hardwood Floors Match Baseboards?

As someone who’s fascinated with interior design and all the small details it takes to put a house together, I began to fixate on small details in every house I enter. Maybe a little too much, but it’s all to reach the conclusion of whether or not hardwood floors should match baseboards.

Actually, there isn’t a general rule for how this works. It all depends on the application and the aesthetics of the house. The visual aesthetics. In this case, I spent a long time noticing how a house looks with matching hardwood floors and baseboards, and when without matching hardwood floors and baseboards, and here is what I reached.

Matching hardwood floors and baseboards

As I enter adult life and was looking for several houses for rent, I remember that the issue of matching and unmatching hardwood floors and baseboards was huge. In some cases I liked them matching, and others the latter.

The thing about this is that changing either the entire baseboards of the house or the floors is a huge project and is quite pricey if you ask me. Also, one wrong move, and you could risk tearing a huge part of either the baseboard or the floor.

Back to the point. Matching baseboards and hardwood floorings DO make a house feel more put together and well-blended if you know what I mean. But, it also creates this illusion that the floor and the baseboards are one big piece. 

It makes it look like the floor somehow extended to the walls, and it feels… weird. Sometimes I would even trip because I didn’t know where the end of the floor was. However, this issue has been somehow solved with the quarter round. 

The quarter round, as the name suggests, looks like a cylinder wood dowel, and has three-quarters of it removed. Hence, a quarter round. This is used to fill in gaps in trims and in case of matching baseboards and hardwood floorings, puts an end to the floor.

Unmatching hardwood floors and baseboards

A baseboard that doesn’t match either the wall color or the floor color is my personal preference. It makes a room look more structured and defined in my opinion. It outlines the room and is visually pleasing. 

Also, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to add a lot into the room, this helps add a bit of design because of the visual aesthetics it provides. You could also do a baseboard that matches the wall color, but not the floor color. I find this also looks good if you choose the colors correctly.

Conclusion

When it comes to interior design, it’s the smallest details that make all the difference. When it comes to the issue of matching and mismatching baseboards and hardwood floors, I’d say it all depends on the application and your visual preference.

Personally, I prefer baseboards that contrast the floor hardwood. If you’re not sure what exactly you want, go to a hardwood store, pick up a few stain swatches, and mix and match in your house. It will help you put together a picture of what it will look like in the end. Happy designing!

Flawless Floors Services

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