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A homeowner in Charlotte pointed out my quarter-round cuts were too tight against the baseboard, so now I always leave a credit card's width gap before nailing.

They said 'that floor needs room to breathe' and after seeing a few planks buckle on a job six months ago, I finally understood what they meant... anyone else have a simple trick for remembering expansion gaps on trim work?
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barbara_kim
barbara_kim1d agoTop Commenter
Man, that credit card trick is solid. I learned the hard way too, had a whole hallway crown molding job go bad after a humid summer. Now I keep a pack of those plastic tile spacers in my nail bag, the skinny ones. Just slip one in, nail, and pull it out. Saves a lot of headaches down the road. What do you keep in your kit for spacing?
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jamie_taylor
Wait, tile spacers don't leave a tiny gap for wood movement, right? I've always used a couple of finish nails as a spacer, then pull them out after nailing. Ever try that?
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