This is a fairly simply carpentry question really. Have you ever noticed that when a wood floor or laminate floor is installed, there is often times quarter-round molding installed around the perimeter of it? It is a very common site. The quarter-round molding serves a very important purpose. It covers the gap between the baseboard on the wall, and the new flooring. You find this if the installer chose to keep the baseboard in place, rather than remove it and reinstall it.
There are two ways to go when installing a wood or laminate floor. If you remove the baseboard, you can run the flooring right up to the wall. Once the floor is installed, you can reinstall the baseboard over the top of the floor for a seamless finish. This is beautiful and you don’t need to install quarter round because the gap is hidden underneath the baseboard.
It’s only when you leave the baseboard in place and install the flooring up to it that you need to use the quarter-round, as a gap is present between the baseboard and the edge of the flooring. Flooring manufacturers make quarter-round molding for this purpose. It will match your floor and will give you a finished presentation. It will however, make your baseboard look shorter because it effectively hides the bottom of it.