If your flooring guy said he can do it i say do it. Its possible to remove and install with cabinets in place. Takes more finese but it can be done. And if you dont like quarter round make sure they are aware of your wishes. Trying to stain the two different woods is just a headache.

A wet rag and some elbow grease should work. You can also use some denatured alcohol, but only if the woodwork is finished with a solvent based product like poly or varnish (most times it is). If it's shellac or a water based finish the denatured alcohol will take the finish right off. Test in a hidden area first.

thanks for the comments. I appreciate the quick response. It helps. I agree - they should be unemployed. In our previous house we had tile installed before we moved in. He took out all the 50 year old baseboards and trim and I had to replace slowly. I learned how to cope. that guy used spacers. It looked nice. However here...... We are currently suing, but that doesn't solve the problem with the appearance. (I won't name the company that was supposed to supervise). the current baseboard is 1 3/4" high and the walls are curved - so some of the baseboard has special rounded edges to go around the walls. Not sure if a quarter round would look ok in front of current baseboard. The current baseboard isn't wedged behind the grout. the house had carpet throughout before we had it removed and replaced with tile (so it should come out ok.... maybe). I added a photo. sorry I can't figure how to resize the photos. One of the photos is an example of uneven grout. the other shows the curved walls. Any suggestions?

OK...I'm going to give you a little piece of advice re: Certified Inspector. You aren't going to like it but here we go: The inspection report belongs to the person/company who PAID for it. If the company pays for the inspector (what type of certification?) then the company OWNS the report and has NO NEED to share the results with you. The only way you can compel them to release the document is through the courts during 'disclosure'. Don't panic! There is a way around this. Find/pay for your OWN flooring inspector. Yep. A few hundred bucks and the inspection can happen as QUICKLY as you need it to happen. Even though this is a vinyl floor, you can reach out to the National Wood Flooring Association (www.nwfa.org) to find out where you can find Certified Flooring Inspectors. I've seen inspectors respond/arrive at the property within DAYS of first contact. In your situation, you are paying huge amounts of money to stay 'out' of the house. You need to, financially, get back INTO the house. That means the FASTER you get an inspection, the faster you get resolution. I'm going to bet my first born that you will NOT see hide nor hair of that inspector's report. And someone is going to say it was 'installation error' and then deny you the claim. Which leaves you exactly where you are right now....which is out of the house and pointing fingers at the GC. You can head this off at the pass (so to speak). You can hire YOUR OWN inspector and have your OWN document that states 'installation error' (which would make TWO documents from two separate inspectors stating install error) and that will be one HECK of a 'big stick' you can use against the GC. While you wait for your OWN inspector to call you back (because you googled everything as soon as you read my post) you will need to pull out your FLOORING contract (where ever/whatever that is) and look up how much you paid for SUBFLOOR preparation. And then, because you are already digging around in the house, you will also find/print the INSTALLATION instructions for your product. You will have BOTH of these documents ready for your own inspector to come in and view the project. As for the baseboards...leave them OFF. The flooring inspector (both yours and theirs) will have to SEE the expansion gap at the walls. Which is SUPER HELPFUL if the baseboards are NOT installed. Please tell us what product you used (brand, line, name, specs) and we will see if we can dig up a few bits and pieces for you. I can tell you right now, the expansion gap at the walls is probably too small. Are there any transition strips through doorways? Most vinyl has maximum runs...and those runs are determined by the CLICK SYSTEM. A thin product with a low-grab click edge has a maximum run of 25 feet and must ALWAYS have transition strips through doorways. A thicker product with a high-grab click system will have a maximum run of 40 feet which may NOT need a transition strip through doorways...but sometimes it needs it simply because of the total run or the width of the doorway. Whew! Lots to work with. Leave the baseboards OFF, call your OWN inspector and dig up every single stick of information you have on your flooring contract and on your floor product itself. You are going to need all of it.