Hardwood Flooring Trim Installation:
Nosings, Reducers & Transistion
Mouldings
Hardwood Floor Installation Instructions
for installing transition moldings:
Nosings - used at step or railing
openings. It is important to know 3 things when purchasing a nosing
- Is
the part of the trim that sits on the floor the same thickness
as the flooring you are installing? If not it will leave a bump.
It can be cut down in thickness, but it is a rather risky job
to put the molding on edge to adjust to your needs. If at all
possible buy the right nosing to start with.
- How much of the hardwood flooring trim will sit on the floor
in your installation? Usually a hardwood floor nosing is made
with somewhere between 1 1/2" to 3 1/4" of wood that
covers the floor and the rest makes up the lip and overhangs
the landing.... does this molding give you enough on the floor
for your application?
- most nosings are made with a groove to match with the tongue
and groove system of your flooring. Does this fit with your
purchase?
Reducers - where flooring is
sitting higher then the surrounding floor.
- The
first and easiest math to understand is the thickness.. if your
existing flooring goes from 3/4" in thickness down to nothing
then you need a 3/4" reducer. Purchase according to how
much you have to drop from one floor to the next.
- The width is what the do it yourself hardwood flooring installers
often forget to consider until the two merging floors are installed.
You very rarely get an arrangement of width-thickness options
so that's why I continue to advise that you solve these problems
first.
T-molding - to cover a joint
between 2 floors where they both lie at the same height.
- This
molding, when made out of wood is only really good when both
floors are at the same level. If you try and tilt the molding
in your trim installation, it will not sit flat.
- That being said you can straddle a T-molding across the
edges of abutting hardwood flooring during trim installation,
to fill the space under the bottom edge if it doesn't reach
the subfloor.
....and
a whole list of specialty moldings specific to a particular manufacturer
so you really have to ask around, keep your fingers crossed and
then often concede the fact that during installation you'll need
to make some custom modifications during at least one hardwood
flooring trim installation.
Further Information:
Hardwood Floor Installation Instructions