Wood floor molding is often overlooked, but it is a critical component that impacts the durability and beauty of your hardwood flooring. Molding helps transition from hardwood floors to another type of flooring (such as tile or carpet) and can be used to bring wooden floors up to baseboards and doorways. For hardwood stairs, molding ends the wooden stair and gives it a smooth finish. If your wooden moldings are starting to cause issues, it is best to call in a professional.
Robar Flooring offers expert flooring services that can repair or replace your troubled moldings.
Types of Wood Floor Moldings
There are several types of wood floor moldings, each with their own characteristics. The most common types of moldings used for wooden floors and stairs include:
- T Moldings – These are used to separate wooden floors from tile and carpet. Unfortunately, these moldings can look unsightly across a room and even bulky. If installed improperly, they can be a tripping hazard as well.
- Reducers – Reducers are used when a higher vertical wooden floor is transitioning to another height. Reducers are often misused on floating floors, which forces them to flop up and down. Because they never fully attach to the sub-floor, they become tripping hazards and are bulkier than necessary.
- Overlap Reducers – These are designed for floating floors and allow expansion under the molding. They also aid in transition from a lower hard floor surface to a heightened wooden floor surface. These can create issues with the overlap and may come loose, allowing the reducer to rock back and forth when you step on it.
- Threshold – This trim piece is used for sliding door areas to allow for expansion. The biggest issue with thresholds is their placement. If not installed properly, they crack and have no snug support.
- End Cap – These are for the ends of stairs and against walls, but offer very little space for expansion.
Tips for Avoiding Wood Floor Molding Issues
Wooden floor moldings are one of the more difficult components to install, but they do not have to be. There are ways to avoid these common issues by:
- Cutting the molding to allow for proper expansion; otherwise you may experience buckling or warping of the boards
- Using the right molding for the application
- Securing the molding to the sub-floor to prevent it from rocking back and forth or becoming loose
- Never assuming that the moldings you buy with a floor will actually match; in fact, most moldings are made separately from the flooring.
- Hiring a professional to install hardwood flooring – they have the tools and expertise to ensure the right moldings are used and installed properly.
Installing hardwood flooring requires precision and expertise. Robar Flooring can pick the right moldings that not only match your finish floor, but are smooth and flawless rather than unsightly tripping hazards.
If you are facing trouble with your wood floor moldings and need expert advice, give us a call today at 416.822.6184.