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How To Transition Laminate To Tile/Carpet/Linoleum/Vinyl Plank

If you have laminate flooring in your home, you may be considering only using it in some of the rooms. In that case, you will need to transition to other types of flooring.

The easiest way to transition laminate to any other type of floor is to use a transition strip. There are a number of different types of strips available but the most common is the T molding strip. It can transition between two different floors of similar height and if the laminate is higher, it can also reduce to the lower floor.

Vinyl Tiles for home interior designs and house renovation

Laminate is one of the most popular types of floor for a reason. It is a lot less expensive than other types of flooring but it still looks great when it is installed.

It is also possible for almost any homeowner to install a laminate floor on their own. If you are looking for a DIY project, this is one you should consider.

As you will see, making the transition from laminate to other areas of the home, such as stairs, doorways, hardwood, or concrete can be done with the use of transition strips. There are going to be variations necessary, but the transition strip almost always is used.

How To Transition Laminate To Tile/Carpet/Linoleum/Vinyl Plank

One important thing to keep in mind is that transition strips come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Not every strip is going to work in every circumstance, and, at times, it may be necessary for you to adjust in order to get things to line up properly.

For example, if you are transitioning from one type of laminate floor to another style, you will probably have two different floors that are at the same general elevation.

If that is the case, then a standard T molding will work quite well. It will make the transition seamless and at the same time, will also cover up the edges that may have some imperfections.

On the other hand, if you are transitioning from laminate to a lower floor, such as concrete, you may still be able to use T molding but you are going to have to use a reducer. Why is that?

Anytime you have a change in elevation in the flooring, there is going to be a possibility of somebody tripping. It is not something that requires a big gap in order for it to happen. Just a small change in elevation will cause someone to stumble.

A transition strip that reduces the floor to the next level allows the flow of the room to remain as close to flat as possible. Rather than having a sharp edge, it will go up slightly.

Of course, if you have a large elevation difference, you will have to choose a different reducer than you would if you had a small elevation difference. Generally speaking, the larger the difference, the wider the reducer strip.

On the other hand, you may be going to a different type of flooring altogether, such as hardwood or carpeting. If that is the case, there may be other options that are available to keep the transition as seamless as possible.

We will explore some of the specific options available in this article. It will help you to make choices that will keep the finished product as clean-looking as possible.

How To Transition Laminate To Tile

Man fixing the floor

Are you trying to transition from laminate to tile? This can be done with the right type of transition strip.

Generally speaking, transitioning from laminate to tile is not going to be a large difference in elevation. For that reason, you can use a standard T molding strip to make the transition seamless. One thing to keep in mind is that the laminate floor will expand and contract as the moisture content in the room fluctuates. Don’t butt the laminate right up against the T molding or it will buckle.

Here is how to make the transition as seamless as possible.

First of all, you should leave an appropriate gap between the tile and the laminate flooring. This will be spelled out in the instructions provided with the T strip molding.

Even though you are only likely transitioning a very small portion of the room, perhaps in a doorway, you should still leave enough space for expansion and contraction. The T molding will hide the edge of the floor, even if it does contract slightly and widen the gap between the tile and the laminate.

The good news is, the tile floor is not going to expand and contract a noticeable amount. You can essentially install the T molding right up against the tile, although it wouldn’t hurt to leave 1/8 of an inch for good measure.

The T molding has a strip that is attached to the floor and the molding itself goes down into the strip. You can attach the strip with tacks or, in the case of concrete, you can predrill holes and fill them with wood from a dowel rod.

If you do have to reduce the floor to match a different elevation, this can also be done with T molding but it will have a separate piece that helps to make the transition seamless.

Tools You Will Need:

Drill

Hammer

Tape Measure

Floor Adhesive

Dowel Rod (Optional)

How To Transition Laminate To Carpet

Man fixing the floor

It is possible to make a smooth transition from laminate to carpet. The key is to install the laminate under the carpet a few inches at the edge.

The best way to transition from laminate to carpet is to install the laminate a few inches under the carpeting. You will then fold the carpeting back on itself and kick it into place so that it butts up against the laminate floor edge tightly. You may need to use a tack strip under the carpeting to keep the elevation the same. Pin the carpet down with staples.

This type of transition is one that is popular among DIY homeowners. Many professionals will not use it, but the finished product looks professional when all is said and done.

The process is easy but there are a few things to keep in mind to make it go as smoothly as possible. First of all, you don’t want to have too much carpeting overlapped because you want to keep the transition in the center of the doorway if at all possible.

In addition, if you fold too much carpeting under, it will result in a small bump that could cause people to stumble as they walk by. Generally speaking, you should only have about 1 inch or slightly more folded under the carpet at the laminate edge.

You also want to be cautious that you are not pinning down the nap of the carpet in the process. Work the staple gun down through the nap so that you are pinning the backing of the carpet and not the nap itself.

Use plenty of staples so that you get a smooth and even finish. Be cautious not to use too many that would force the carpet down and may cause an uneven edge.

Tools You Will Need:

  • Hammer
  • Tape Measure
  • Staple Gun
  • Straight Edge (Optional)
  • Tack Strip (Optional)
  • Razor Knife

How To Transition Laminate To Linoleum

Man fixing the floor

The transition from a laminate floor to linoleum is one that requires both horizontal and vertical joining. Here is how to do it properly.

You can easily bridge the gap from laminate to linoleum with a T molding reducer strip. This strip is put in place to make the transition seamless and to make the change in elevation gradual so it eliminates the tripping hazard. Otherwise, you can use a simple seaming strip to bridge the gap and ramp from one elevation to the other.

In many cases, you will be attaching the T molding bar into a concrete subfloor. If that is the case, you must pre-drill the holes for the tacks and fill them with wood from a dowel rod. Use a masonry bit that is slightly smaller than the dowel rod.

It is also a good idea to use tacks to hold the groove in place. Using screws could bind it and pull the edges of the groove inward. It would make it difficult to use the T molding because it would not longer fit together properly.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on January 28, 2022.

If the elevation difference is significant, you might need to use a wider transition strip to avoid having a high edge that could be a tripping hazard.

Tools You Will Need:

  • Hammer
  • Rubber Mallet
  • Drill
  • Masonry Bit
  • Dowl Rod
  • Tape Measure

How To Transition Laminate To Vinyl Plank

Man fixing the floor

In most cases, a laminate floor will be a similar elevation to an adjoining vinyl plank floor. There are products available to bridge the gap flawlessly.

Most laminate floor manufacturers will make a T molding seam strip that will allow you to match up a laminate floor with an adjoining vinyl plank floor. A gap will be left between the two floors to install the molding sleeve and enough extra space will be left to allow for floor expansion. The T molding will be put in place and make the job look great.

Laminate floor and vinyl plank are very similar to each other. For the purpose of this conversation, you can almost consider them to be identical.

At the heart of the process of making the transition is ensuring that you leave enough space so that both floors can expand. This would mean leaving a gap on either side of the T molding when it is installed in the gap between the floors.

Some DIY homeowners will also want to attach one of the floors to the T molding with adhesive. This is typically done with the oldest of the two different types of floors.

Using adhesive is good because you don’t have to install the channel for the T molding. You simply allow the piece of molding between the two floors to float back and forth as the floors expand and contract.

You can attach the T molding with adhesive by putting a thin bead on the edge of the floor. It is important that you don’t glue both sides of the molding to the floor or it will not allow the floors to expand and they could buckle.

You can also use the channel that is provided with the T molding if desired.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on January 28, 2022.

Tools You Will Need:

  • Tape Measure
  • Hammer
  • T Molding Strip
  • Adhesive
  • Drill (Optional)

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on January 28, 2022.

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