Hard surface flooring will expand & contract. Quarter round is the wooden strip installed to cover this gap.
Wood flooring requires a bit of a gap around the perimeter of the space. Believe it or not, hard surface flooring actually will expand & contract just a bit. Too little to notice, but enough to cause damage if there isn’t a bit of space left to accommodate it. Generally we assume this space is to be ¼”, but specifications can vary from product to product. Quarter round, sometimes referred to as base shoe is the little wooden strip installed to cover this gap up against the base boards. The product we use is an 11/16” x11/16”, primed white strip that we install with finish nails that get touched over with white caulk to provide a seamless, finished look.