Hardwood Flooring Trim Installation:
Installing Nosings & Transistion
Mouldings
What do I do when I run up to my railing?
In
many cases you will start at your railing. Ask for a piece of
nosing that caps the corner where the floor drops off, as well
as the first two or three inches of floor space. Your flooring
will run parallel to this or run into it, either way, when the
flooring is finished, the spindles can be drilled directly into
this material to finish off the railing. There are other options
for hardwood flooring trim installation but this is just the easiest
and most available. Ask your installer for options if you don't
think this will work in your special situations.
What do I do at the entrance to my steps?
The same piece of nosing as mentioned above is used in this application.
It is normally screwed through the face and into the subfloor.
Often a latex adhesive is used as well. It adds strength and reduces
the number of screws that are necessary. Wood plugs are used to
block the screw holes, then sanded and finished with the rest
of the piece of wood.
I'm butting up to ceramic flooring, how do
I finish it off?
Usually ceramic tile and flooring end up at an equal elevation,
when installed at the same initial floor level. The big caution
here is to allow enough expansion space along the intersection
between ceramic tile and the wood flooring, when they meet along
the long side of the flooring. Remember that wood flooring expands
in the wet months and pushes out across the width of the boards.
If ceramic tile is pressed up tightly
to this edge of the wood floor, the expansion of the wood in the
humid months, will cause the first row of tiles to pop off or
crack. Use a grout line or metal transition strip that will allow
some movement.
If the ceramic tile stops at the ends of the
wood floor, expansion is not an issue. Usually one board of flooring
is turned 90 degrees to the rest and the flooring runs up to it
on one side and ceramic on the other. Metal transitions strips
area used often for minor elevation difference. Be cautious of
using too much water on the ceramic flooring close to the wood.
Some moisture can sneak underneath and discolour the wood before
you notice. Finishing the edge of this
piece of flooring is often good preventative medicine.
I'm coming up to vinyl flooring, what do
I do?
The
important thing to know, is what is the difference in height between
the two floors. Usually the wood flooring is laid on top of the
vinyl in which case the height difference is 3/4". What you
want is a piece of "reducer". It is a piece of
wood, moulded into a downhill slope, going from 3/4" at one
side, down to 1/8" on the other. You normally
glue or nail this down into place. It is a good idea to
finish it on all four sides.
Using silicon to glue it down is a great idea as well. Vinyl floors
are washed frequently. If water sneaks under the reducer it can
penetrate up through the wood and discolour from underneath. Finishing
it fanatically is, again, good preventative medicine.
I'm coming up to carpet, what do I do?
This is a very similar question, but not always
solved so easily. It mostly depends on again, what the height
difference is between the wood floor and the carpet. Often a piece
of the flooring can be used as a transition strip. The bottom
half of the groove is cut off, to leave a small lip that can cap
off the edge of the carpet. Each application is somewhat different
so please ask when ordering your flooring.
I hope this answers some of your questions about
hardwood flooring trim. Installation that looks professional at
the end of the day, often requires that you address these issues
BEFORE you begin.
Further Information:
Hardwood Flooring Installation Instructions
