Transition Molding question

Hello,

I have a situation where 1/2" hardwood flooring is going to be next to 5/16" tile. The reducer molding that I purchased goes from 1/2" to nothing. Did I buy the wrong type of reducer? If I did, what kind should I buy for the bruce engineered hardwood that I will be floating? If it is the right kind, how do I make it work?

Thanks,

Moe

 

Moe:

By your description is sounds like you have a one sided reducer which works great for areas such as sliding lass doors where the track is more than 1/2" higher than the floor,



What you'll need to make it work better, would be a an overlap reducer but I don't think Bruce makes one. The next illustration is made by Harris-Tarkett and is used for tile to wood transitions with their 9/16" floating engineered product. It would work in your situation, but matching color may be a problem unless the finish is a natural one.

 

Thanks ken.

The molding I have has a groove on the thicker (1/2") side leading me to believe that it is meant to go from the wooden floor edge to a lower adjoining surface. The problem is that the thinner/lower edge, when butted against the tile ends up being lower than the tile. It, obviously, cannot overlap the tile either.

The need for expansion space not withstanding, do you think that ripping the molding so that the non-grooved edge is same thickness as the tiled floor and butts against it would be an asthetically OK?

Again, thanks.

Moe

 

"The need for expansion space not withstanding, do you think that ripping the molding so that the non-grooved edge is same thickness as the tiled floor and butts against it would be an asthetically OK?"

My answer is no, because it's unlikely the tile has been installed perfectly straight. I've done jobs exactly the way you describe and 95% of the time it will not work unless you like gapping betwen the tile and threshold. Many times I have called in a tile guy to cut the area straight to make it work.

 

Thanks (again) Ken.

Can you speak to the implications regarding aesthetics and durability of using a T molding between two surfaces that are 1/4" apart in height.

Thanks,

Moe

 

I tried to do it with the transition moulding butted against the edge of the tile and it didn't look right (as Ken says, tile is never straight).

I ended up redoing it so it overlaps the tile (barely had enough hardwood floor left to cover both). Perhaps then you could seal the joint between the tile and reducer with silicone.

 

Hi Alex,

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. My problem is that I did not understand how you did it. From butting it to overlapping you are talking about a difference equal to the tile thickness. I am not aware of a molding that is so flexible. I also did not understand "barely had enough hardwood floor left to cover both."

I will greatly appreciate some more detail comprehensible to my feeble DIYer mind!

Moe

 

The piece I have is called a universal and it overlaps both the wood floor and the tile. It looks like the second picture that Ken put up. The difference between flush and overlap is only 1/4" or so the molding can be positioned either way. I will then screw down the molding and plug the screw holes.

A "T" molding would probably also work if the surfaces are level within 1/4" or so?

I think that many pros will make sure that they have a T&G joint at transitions so they can use a flush reducer which has a cleaner appearance. Problem is, you would almost certainly need to route a groove into the cut flooring and then use a spline to replace the missing tongue. This is explained fairly well in Bollinger's book (which of course I purchased after installing my floor).

By not enough floor I meant that I almost cut the flooring too short to allow the molding to cover both the floor and tile.