Just had new laminate installed, question on the transitions

[NicoleNPR]

Hi,

We just had new carpet put in 3 bedrooms and laminate put in the remainder of the house. I don't think our installer did a good job with the transitions, but I'm not sure and would like any opinion or suggestions.

One bathroom has small tile and a marble slab in the doorway. They put a transition next to the marble slab since the hallway is laminate, but there is a gap on each side of the transition because it doesn't sit flush on each side of the doorway opening. Should they even have put a transition there? Should they have just butted the laminate up to the marble slab? I don't have a picture right now on how that looks.

Also, they have transitions just the length of the doorway butted up against metal thresholds of doors that go outside. It just looks like a strip of wood sitting up against the threshold. It just doesn't look right. I'm not sure how to post those pictures on here. Any suggestions on how I can do that would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Nicole

 

[FloorMaven]

Sounds like your installer could have been a bit more creative...though creativity comes at a premium. Did you discuss transitions with your installer prior?

I found that beveling the edge creates a better molding seam.

 

[Ernesto]

Laminate or any floating floor should never be butted to any vertical surfaces. The transition strip along the exterior door is installed the way it should be. Can't say about the other one unless you provide a picture.

 

[FloorMaven]

An exterior door that opens out is pretty odd to begin with...I can't agree with it being installed right as- what's going on on either side with the expansion space? Does the strip have raw edges? Why not treat with a shoe mold all the way across as you might when meeting any vertical surface?

 

[highup]

An exterior door that opens out is pretty odd to begin with...I can't agree with it being installed right as- what's going on on either side with the expansion space? Does the strip have raw edges? Why not treat with a shoe mold all the way across as you might when meeting any vertical surface?

Shoe molding would have looked better, but not knowing the specifics.......... maybe he used what a shop owner supplied him with.
I it was a one day job, and it was some distance back to town to get a different moulding, that's another issue.

How was the material purchased,
...through a retailer? and who set up this particular installer?
The home owner searched him out, or the shop provided his services along with the sale?

He did use transitions, so ya got to give him that much.
Door trim is undercut a wee bit high.

 

[highup]

Sounds like your installer could have been a bit more creative...though creativity comes at a premium. Did you discuss transitions with your installer prior?

I found that beveling the edge creates a better molding seam.

I like the bevel you used. How much..... 15,20?

 

[FloorMaven]

22.5 Degrees - there's a click on my saw.

 

[BudCline]

When that type of flooring is installed it requires an expansion-gap where it meets other flooring components or walls or doors or whatever. In this case the pieces where used to hide those gaps and the flooring material should not be "butted" against anything. This is customary, however I will admit the installer did take a path of least resistance when it comes to finessing the looks of the trim pieces. Could be the pieces were pre-cut at the shop and sent out with no option to address any site issues. This is one of the problems when using these floating floor products, and the installations don't always pay too well, so therefore an installer will do what he can to get the job installed quickly and get out of there. I see a typical minimal-interest installation.

Generally junctures/seams in the trim pieces shouldn't occur mid-span of an opening but the pieces come in limited sizes and sometimes this is unavoidable to keep trim costs at a minimum.

 

[Ernesto]

At the rear door a baby threshold is a common transition piece. Personally I think quarter round looks tacky. Sometimes I will rip off the back piece of a T-cap and use it as a transition piece there. But I do undercut the leg and overlap the floor at the ends and use a stain stick to cover the cut edge.

At the carpet edge, most likely the carpet guy crammed in to much carpet and made the transition strip move. I use baby thresholds, or commonly called carpet thresholds there as well.

 

[highup]

At the rear door a baby threshold is a common transition piece. Personally I think quarter round looks tacky. Sometimes I will rip off the back piece of a T-cap and use it as a transition piece there. But I do undercut the leg and overlap the floor at the ends and use a stain stick to cover the cut edge.

At the carpet edge, most likely the carpet guy crammed in to much carpet and made the transition strip move. I use baby thresholds, or commonly called carpet thresholds there as well.

....sure, blame it on the carpet guy.
Rusty ..........dogpile on Ernesto!

 

[NicoleNPR]

hi,

we just had new carpet put in 3 bedrooms and laminate put in the remainder of the house. I don't think our installer did a good job with the transitions, but i'm not sure and would like any opinion or suggestions.

One bathroom has small tile and a marble slab in the doorway. They put a transition next to the marble slab since the hallway is laminate, but there is a gap on each side of the transition because it doesn't sit flush on each side of the doorway opening. Should they even have put a transition there? Should they have just butted the laminate up to the marble slab? I don't have a picture right now on how that looks.

Also, they have transitions just the length of the doorway butted up against metal thresholds of doors that go outside. It just looks like a strip of wood sitting up against the threshold. It just doesn't look right. I'm not sure how to post those pictures on here. Any suggestions on how i can do that would be appreciated.

Thanks,

nicole

i just added a couple of pictures of how they did the transition in the doorways. I'm thinking there must be a way to make it look like a finished product and not just sitting there on the edges. Any suggestions. They are coming back soon to fix - hopefully.

 

[BudCline]

I just added a couple of pictures of how they did the transition in the doorways.

That is kind of a no-talent low-budget approach. It would be simple to have extended the trims to go under the door jambs like they should be. It looks like there is already room to do so. I don't understand why they did what they did there.

 

[NicoleNPR]

That is kind of a no-talent low-budget approach. It would be simple to have extended the trims to go under the door jambs like they should be. It looks like there is already room to do so. I don't understand why they did what they did there.

Thanks. That is what I was thinking. We will see when they come back how they will fix it. I'll take pictures of the finish product. Hopefully it will look better than this.

 

[Ernesto]

If the door casing is cut to high then you could slip the ends under it. But if it is cut right then it would be impossible to slip the ends under the casing. I disagree that is the correct method and never see it done that way.

 

[BudCline]

Nicole,

Hers the thing.
Typically the door jambs and casings are cut only high enough to receive the thickness of the new flooring material so that it can be tucked under same.

When it is done like that (as it should be) then any trim pieces (transitions) that are installed should be cut to butt at the door jambs. That gives you a nice fit and a finished look.

In this case I don't know who or when your door jambs were cut (raised). If this installer did this then he screwed up and cut the jambs too high.

If the jambs were already cut (that high) from a previous floor covering installation then there isn't much he could do about that. BUT, he could have (should have) allowed the trims to extend into the cut opening under the jambs for a slightly better look.

No matter what was done when...that job is needlessly screwed up and he should correct it as best it can be corrected under the circumstances. Either the installer didn't think it through or he didn't care how it looked but it certainly can be improved a little.

 

[Incognito]

I don't think ANY of the transition moldings that match the brand and style of laminate you choose are worth a pint of warm spit.

Tear them out and have solid wood or metal transitions custom fit to your specific needs.

Laminate is pretty cheaply constructed to begin with. At the transition points there's some challenge for all flooring manufacturers and installers. On this point the laminate manufacturers have universally chosen the EXTREME of CHEAP, UGLY, INADEQUATE and GUARANTEED TO FAIL. It's a tough market when the consumer looks at the lowest price nine out of ten times to make their final choice. The little details like this fall by the wayside.

Just my opinion, Ma'am.

 

[Ernesto]

I just don;t think real hardwood transitions go very well with laminate. Looks completely different. Just my opinion brutha.

 

[NicoleNPR]

I don't think ANY of the transition moldings that match the brand and style of laminate you choose are worth a pint of warm spit.

Tear them out and have solid wood or metal transitions custom fit to your specific needs.

Laminate is pretty cheaply constructed to begin with. At the transition points there's some challenge for all flooring manufacturers and installers. On this point the laminate manufacturers have universally chosen the EXTREME of CHEAP, UGLY, INADEQUATE and GUARANTEED TO FAIL. It's a tough market when the consumer looks at the lowest price nine out of ten times to make their final choice. The little details like this fall by the wayside.

Just my opinion, Ma'am.

Thank you. I appreciate your input )

 

[NicoleNPR]

Nicole,

Hers the thing.
Typically the door jambs and casings are cut only high enough to receive the thickness of the new flooring material so that it can be tucked under same.

When it is done like that (as it should be) then any trim pieces (transitions) that are installed should be cut to butt at the door jambs. That gives you a nice fit and a finished look.

In this case I don't know who or when your door jambs were cut (raised). If this installer did this then he screwed up and cut the jambs too high.

If the jambs were already cut (that high) from a previous floor covering installation then there isn't much he could do about that. BUT, he could have (should have) allowed the trims to extend into the cut opening under the jambs for a slightly better look.

No matter what was done when...that job is needlessly screwed up and he should correct it as best it can be corrected under the circumstances. Either the installer didn't think it through or he didn't care how it looked but it certainly can be improved a little.

Thank you for your input. )

 

[LeePelletier]

Hi Nicole,
1. Yes, a transition is required for laminate where it meets the marble threshold. You can butt solid wood or engineered wood (glue or nail down, not floated). But not laminate. In my opinion, the transition could have been extended under the door casing. As FloorMaven points out, this requires a little creativity (like cutting the vertical part off the molding where it goes under the casing so you can slide it under). It's not done "wrongly", but it can be done better. The bargain installer does work like you have. No one wants to pay the really good guy price (well, they do though, that's what we do - but you get what I mean).
2. The exterior door is done correctly, but with the same comment as for the bath. Part of the problem is it appears a thicker floor was once installed that has now been removed, causing the door casings to be higher than the floor. The floor installer is not responsible for the higher door casings. I know someone said they didn't like quarter rounds, but I don't mind them your particular situation. Judgement call.
3. Where the transition meets the carpet, if this door opening is less than 7', then this join should not exist. Moldings typically come just under 8' in length, so any opening less than that size should be done with one piece of molding. If the opening is larger, then there is no choice but to have a join. Again, not technically wrong, but you can see the join FloorMaven demonstrates looks better. However, it is glued in to a flat floor. Some transitions are designed to be inserted into a track and are removable. This type of molding has a little "give" when the carpet pushes against it, so the incongruity may be nothing the installer can address without changing how the molding was designed to be installed. There is also a little adhesive evident in your join, which should not be visible.

Hope this helps.