When we last wrote about the kitchen floors, they seemed almost finished.
But on closer inspection they still needed a few finishing touches: shoe molding to cover the intentional expansion gaps around the edges, and several coats of sealant to protect the seams and add durability.
The short version of installing shoe molding goes like this: now you see a gap…
And now you don’t.
Of course caulk and paint are part of the process too, to cover nail holes and tidy corners where seams meet.
Here’s the longer version with the details and a few unexpected twists. First, we decided not to reuse our old shoe molding despite having saved and labeled every piece when we removed it weeks earlier:
At first we thought reusing the old trim would save time. But once we test-fitted some of the painted pieces they didn’t look great—the paint edges were a bit rough and even with touch-ups they wouldn’t read as crisp against the dark floor. Because the contrast between white trim and dark cork is high, we wanted the finish to be flawless.
We chose to install new shoe molding instead. We already needed some new pieces around the peninsula since that area didn’t have old trim to reuse, so picking up a few extra pieces only cost about $35 total. It was worth it to finish the fresh floors with fresh trim.
Without a pneumatic nail gun we installed everything the old-fashioned way. After cutting each piece we started the nails by tapping them into scrap wood to minimize hammer strikes on the new floor.
We put cardboard under the work area to protect the planks while nailing. (The new baseboard pictured looked a little scraped because it arrived pre-primed and needed painting.)
Once the nail was set as far as my hammer could go, I used a manual nail punch to sink it slightly beneath the surface. It’s a simple tool—basically a metal peg—that lets you finish the nail without dings from direct hammering.
The biggest visual change from this step was the peninsula area, which previously lacked baseboard and shoe molding:
Here it is after adding the baseboard, which we had waited to install until the new floor was complete.
After cutting the shoe molding to fit:
And here with the shoe hammered in. It still needs some cosmetic finishing—down the road we’d like to add trim to conceal the metal brackets and add visual interest to the back of the peninsula—but for now it reads much more finished. From normal standing height the brackets are hardly noticeable once the stools are in place.
After nailing we caulked all the seams, including corners, to create a polished look. We run a bead of caulk along each joint, then smooth it with a finger dipped in warm water to keep things neat and prevent the caulk from sticking to your hand.
Once the caulk had dried we moved on to sealing the cork. Even though our cork planks were pre-sealed on top, professionals recommend adding three additional coats of water-based polyurethane to protect the seams and prevent dust from settling into them.
We contacted Lumber Liquidators, who recommended this sequence:
- Hand-sand with 100–150 grit sandpaper to remove some of the existing finish.
- Apply a coat of water-based poly with a 3/8″ nap roller.
- After drying (about four hours), repeat the sanding and poly application two more times for a total of three coats.
We tested the process on scrap planks first and then modified it. Sanding with the recommended grit left visible swirl marks even after poly, so we tried different sanding directions and still didn’t like the result. Ultimately we skipped sanding on the actual floor after testing on scraps—the poly adhered fine and the finish looked much better without the sand-induced scratches.
We used PRO Water-Based Polyurethane from Home Depot. It dries quickly and doesn’t have the long-lasting odor of oil-based products. When we first rolled it on with a 3/8″ nap roller it left a purple-ish haze on the cork, so we wiped that off and switched to smooth foam rollers. The foam rollers produced thin, even coats without the discoloration.
Thin, even coats adhered better and looked more natural. We applied three coats over a long weekend—one Friday night, one Saturday night, and one Sunday night—and after drying the color and finish looked stable. Small spills wiped up easily, including a case involving boiling water, and the surface has held up well to a toddler’s toys and a dog’s nails so far.
We also installed transitions for each doorway where floor heights differ. The kitchen sits about a half-inch higher than adjacent rooms due to an asbestos liner under the previous vinyl, so we used reducers to bridge the gap. Lumber Liquidators recommended oak transitions because cork edges can wear faster; we found similar options at Home Depot for less. After measuring, cutting, and nailing them in, the floors are mostly transitioned—two longer reducers are on special order—bringing the total for transitions to about $140.
Down the line we’ll likely have the rest of the wood floors stained darker so the cork and hardwoods flow better visually. They won’t match perfectly, but a shared mocha tone will unify the spaces.
With the final trim, caulk, sealant, and transitions in place, we’ll call the kitchen floor project complete for now. Since this was the last major kitchen task, we’ll follow up with full “after” photos and a detailed budget and timeline breakdown soon. How does Wednesday sound? Meanwhile, what home projects did you tackle this weekend?