Pay Attention To Your Flooring Transitions

Amid the major decisions of colors, cuts, and textures for the flooring in your home, it is easy to lose sight of the smaller details that have an impact on the appearance of your new floor. The transition from one room to another as well as one flooring type to the next provides an effect that completes and rounds out every flooring project.

Without an appropriate transition, moving from your tile kitchen floor to your hardwood dining area can be awkward, and an eyesore. However, giving transitions the appropriate attention will provide your flooring will be the eye-catching and luxurious feature you anticipated. Without them, your flooring could be missing an essential element.

Planning out each transition before your flooring is installed will help give you a vision of what to expect. Keep these aspects in mind when formulating your plan.

Elevation

When sub-floors cannot be easily adjusted to compensate for various flooring thicknesses, a transition threshold is a common way to take care of the problem. This is often seen in remodeling projects where homeowners are changing the materials from what was originally laid down. An example would be installing a hardwood floor over an existing floor which leads to a room and a material that is unchanged. This creates a difference in elevation that must be taken into account. With a transition, this will be less noticeable.

Location

Door openings, cased opening or room separation all create points where one flooring type may end and another begins. Therefore, location and how you approach it is critical to creating a smooth and visually appealing transition. Cased openings are typically the easiest because of the array of methods you may use to form a transition, anything from wood to stone. In the case of a doorway, you will want to know the location of the door and the spot where it closes in order to transition one type of floor to the next. Typically, the transition will occur directly beneath the door when it is closed, so you may see just the flooring on your side and not the other. Be sure to spot the locations and points where a transition is necessary even before you lay your flooring.

Specialty

There are always specialty cases which call for flooring transitions. Stairways and fireplaces, for instance, are areas that should be given thought when planning your flooring. Special molding is a solution often seen in these cases. Adding a transition to stairways and fireplaces will accent these specialty areas and create an aesthetic that flows well throughout your home.

With the proper attention to details, your home improvement project will exceed your grandest expectations. Transitions, specifically, will complete your flooring project in a way that simply cannot be attained without them. Be sure to have a plan for your transitions before your flooring is installed.