Your Complete Guide To Flooring Transition Strips

Author: Elva

Oct. 28, 2024

Your Complete Guide To Flooring Transition Strips

Imagine your dream space and you likely see vast expanses of beautiful floors all made for your ideal material. For many people, that&#;s natural hardwood in a light or dark style. The reality is that actually creating a home or commercial space with only one flooring material is nearly impossible. That&#;s because materials like wood just don&#;t work in spaces with lots of moisture like the bathroom. They also may not feel as good underfoot as other materials like carpet, even if you use a rug.

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You certainly wouldn&#;t use expensive hardwood in a utility closet or connected garage either. That&#;s where transition strips come into play. Use this guide to learn more about transition strips and why they&#;re a must in pretty much every home and commercial space on the planet.


Why Do I Need to Use Transition Strips?

Transition strips serve two main purposes in a residential or commercial space. First, they&#;re put in place to make navigating from room to room easier. They also provide a visual break between rooms and flooring materials that might otherwise be jarring and less than attractive.

When it comes to safety, transition strips delineate the change between flooring materials, giving you a visual clue about what&#;s under your feet. This is particularly important when you&#;re making a transition between types of flooring that have very different thickness and firmness measurements, like carpet and tile, for example.

Transition strips have also come a long way from those old aluminum styles that separated rooms and flooring materials in the past. Today, natural hardwood and laminate styles are very commonly made to match your existing flooring. During custom flooring jobs and installations, a contractor may even use existing material to prepare transition strips for your spaces.


Where Are They Used?

Still trying to get a grasp on transition strips and where you might use them in your residential or commercial space? Here&#;s a list of common places transition strips are used:

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    Between interior and exterior spaces. Transition strips are often used if there&#;s a step up or down between doors that open to the outside and their adjacent spaces.

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    In the transition between rooms when there is a door present.

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    Between rooms where the flooring material changes. Transition strips are also used if one space is slightly elevated compared to the other.

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    Between two rooms utilizing the same flooring material. While you may be able to get away without a transition strip in these spaces, using one can better allow for expansion and contraction over time. This is particularly important with wood plank, vinyl plank or tile materials.


Common Types of Flooring Transitions

Walk into any home or commercial space and you&#;ll see at least two types of flooring in a matter of minutes. An average home can easily have three or more different flooring types, ranging from carpet to hardwood to tile or natural stone.

These soft-to-hard transitions are particularly common when going from a living room to the kitchen. Other materials like vinyl might even be present in the bathroom.

All of these different materials require transition strips. Here are some of the most common transitions you&#;ll see today:


4-in-1 Transition Strips

You can use these to connect a number of different types of flooring. A metal mount is typically used along with a T-molding. Carpet strips, hard surface reducers for wood and vinyl and end moldings create a polished, finished-edge look when placed on top.


Carpet to Vinyl Transition Strips

Vinyl to carpet transitions typically benefit from a vinyl strip that is property chosen to match the design scheme. An aluminum track is typically used beneath the vinyl transition strip to connect the different flooring materials.


T-strips

Often made from aluminum, these are used between two hard surfaces that are roughly the same height.


Wood Transition Strips or Seam Binders

Often made from the same wood material as your floor, seam binders are a low-profile option that account for expansion and contraction over time. Some wood transition strips are rolled down to account for height differences between two rooms.

 

Tile to Laminate Transition Strips

These work to bridge the gap between laminate and tile, which is usually higher due to common installation procedures utilizing cement board. A mounting channel is used in the gap between the flooring materials before a finish molding piece that goes over the top.


Vinyl Flooring to Tile Transition Strips

These are used to create a step-down between higher tile flooring and lower laminate. The same laminate material as the floor is often used to create a natural uniform look.


Installation Tips

Taking on tasks like installing natural hardwood, luxury vinyl plank or laminate flooring can be difficult even if you&#;re an experienced DIY-enthusiast. Transition strips can be tricky too, but there are some tips to help you if you&#;re ready to upgrade:

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    Take time to carefully remove existing transition strips if you have them. Prying or tearing transition strips out of the floor can damage nearby flooring material.

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    Ensure that you properly clean the area between your floor materials. Dirt and debris can impact the look and durability of a transition strip.

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    Related links:
    Rockwool Insulation Attic: Benefits & Installation Guide
    Where can I use weather stripping?

    Contact us to discuss your requirements of Edge Strips. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

    Ensure that your transition strip channel is the correct size. Secure the channel in place before attempting to seat the transition strip long-term.

  • · 

    Use the correct adhesive for your flooring materials if required. Consult the manufacturer or retailer for advice if you&#;re not sure about the appropriate adhesive choice.

Make sure you wipe any adhesive before finishing your installation. You&#;ll also want to check that your transition strip is secure and doesn&#;t move around when you apply pressure. This can damage your floors and create an unsafe transition between areas.


We&#;re Here to Help

Ready to take on a home renovation project or build a brand new commercial space? Proper transition strips are a must have no matter what flooring materials you&#;re working with. Our trained representatives can help you find the right products to match your flooring needs.

We can also help you with other home appointments like window and door moldings for your space. Don&#;t hesitate to reach out to us today so we can help you find the right fittings for your commercial or residential property.


How to Select Edge Trim

Edge trim protects exposed edges and the people who come into contact with them. Trim seals, as edge trim is sometimes called, also provides a finished appearance to surfaces such as the doors on vehicles, machinery, and equipment. Choosing the right edge trim is important, but you&#;ll also need to install trim seals with care. Otherwise, these rubber or plastic products can buckle or separate.

In this guide from Elasto Proxy, you&#;ll learn how to select edge trim based on dimensions, materials of construction, and other application requirements. You&#;ll also learn some best practices for cutting and installing trim seals.

Edge Trim Dimensions

Selecting the right edge trim starts with measuring the thickness of the edge to cover. Your trim seal needs to have the same thickness as the edge. In other words, don&#;t select edge trim that&#;s too thick or too thin for the flange. For example, if you need to cover an edge that&#;s 0.125&#; (0. cm) thick, choose a trim seal with an edge thickness of 0.125&#; (0. cm) &#; not 0.120&#; (0. cm) or 0.130&#; (0. cm).

You&#;ll need to specify the proper leg length, too. As a rule, shallower flanges require shorter leg lengths. Longer flanges need longer legs. If the edge you need to cover is curved, measure the bend radius. Then compare this dimension to the minimum bend radius for the edge trim you&#;re considering. Remember that if your edge trim can&#;t accommodate the radius, the trim seal may buckle and fail.

Edge Trim Materials

Choose an edge trim material that can withstand the application environment and resist compression set, the permanent deformation of a material. Standard edge trim comes in these and other compounds.

EPDM

Remains flexible at low temperatures and resists moisture and ultraviolet (UV) light. Fire-rated EPDM is available that meets flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) requirements for buses, trains, and other mass transit applications.

Neoprene

Provides flame and water resistance but has more limited flexibility at low temperatures.

PVC

Strong, lightweight, and abrasion-resistant. PVC installs easily but may crack in the cold and fade in the sunlight.

TPE

Less likely to crack in the cold than PVC but more expensive than other edge trim materials, including EPDM. Supports recycling.

Silicone

Provides low toxicity, low chemical reactivity, and thermal stability over a wide temperature range. Dust may adhere to silicone, however. 

Edge trim can be made of solid, sponge, or dual durometer rubber. Harder rubber has a higher durometer and is more resistant to compression set. Bulb trim, a type of edge trim, can have a lower durometer bulb that supports compression and a higher durometer retainer that&#;s pressed into place over the flange and resists impact.

Most edge trim is black, but you can choose trim seals in colors such as silver or white to match your larger product designs. Edge trim can have a smooth or textured (pebbled) finish, too. For additional gripping, edge trim can have interior tongues. To help absorb impact, edge trim can contain steel wire or segmented steel cores.

  • Steel wires are spaced apart and run parallel to the length of the legs.
  • Segmented steel cores have sections that cover more surface area.

Because of steel&#;s ability to withstand impact under colder temperatures, you may need edge trim with a steel core for outdoor applications such the door seals on forestry or mining equipment.

Cutting Trim Seals

Edge trim comes in lengths that you can cut yourself. You can also buy edge trim that&#;s been cut-to-size and features smooth, clean edges. Cutting rubber in-house might seem cost-effective but using a hand tool like a wire cutter can crimp the ends and create material waste. Guillotine cutting also puts pressure on the profile. For best results, ask for trim seals that are cut with water jet equipment.

Abrasive water jet cutting is used with edge trim that contains steel wire or segmented steel cores. Creating mitered corners by hand can be difficult, but abrasive water jet cutting creates high-quality cuts every time. Often, these cuts are made at 45° angles into the face of the trim seal. By achieving uniform mating lines, complementary cuts can be joined together into finished gaskets.

If you still decide to make the cuts by hand, remember to feel for the gap between the clips if the trim seal has a segmented core. Otherwise, the edge trim may crush and deform if you don&#;t find the right spot before cutting. Also, it&#;s better to use a 90° miter tool rather than tin snips. Cut a notch from each leg but cut only one leg at a time.

Installing Trim Seals

Installing edge trim involves pressing the trim seal over the flange.  For best results, always install lengths of edge trim so that the ends won&#;t separate. Push the ends together and leave some material in the loop that&#;s created. Then push down on the edge trim to ensure a proper fit and avoid stretching. For high volume installations, you may want to use a pneumatic air hammer instead of your hands.

Would you like to learn more about edge trim dimensions, materials, cutting, or installation? Elasto Proxy keeps hundreds of standard profiles in stock and uses abrasive water jet cutting equipment for edge trim with metal cores. Please contact us for more information.  

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