Laminate flooring is a hugely popular type of flooring and fitted throughout the home. Given the fact that we sell a comprehensive selection of door thresholds for all genres of flooring, we frequently get asked what people should use as a laminate floor door trim. There are a few, attractive options but first you need to understand a little about the characteristics of laminate.
Mind the gap
The first thing to note is that laminate flooring is made largely from wood fibres. Wood typically grows and shrinks a small amount, depending on the relative humidity of its environment. This is why laminate flooring is fitted with small expansion gaps around the room, pipes and in doorways – they help prevent the floor from buckling. You tend not to be able to see the expansion gaps against a wall as they are hidden by the skirting or trim. However, you will be able to see a gap in the doorway, which left uncovered is vulnerable to undue wear and looks unsightly.
Therefore, whatever floor thresholds you use to cover the flooring gap in your internal doorway, it needs to allow for the expansion of the laminate floor. This is true whether you are joining a laminate floor to another laminate floor, laminate to tile, laminate to carpet; in fact, laminate to any other type of flooring.
Joining laminate to another hard floorcovering
A metal T molding or T Bar is a discreet, metal floor transition strip solution suitable for transitioning from one hard flooring, such as laminate, to another hard flooring. The Premier T Bars are available either 14mm or 25mm wide and made from solid brass. Check the manufacturer’s technical specification regarding expansion for your laminate floor before deciding. These T moldings come in a choice of ten metal finishes. Tone in with your laminate floor, contrast or compliment other fittings in a room – the choice is yours. What I particularly like about these T Bars is you can retrospectively fit them, rather than having to install them at the time the floors are put down. They neatly fit into the gap and are held in place with a small amount of silicone adhesive – minimal fuss and look the part.
The self-adhesive laminate floor transition strip
The Euro Floating is another style of laminate floor door trim. Again, it is designed to allow for the expansion and contraction of any laminate flooring and for joining floorcoverings, including wood, laminate, ceramic tiles etc. Simply cut to length and stick on one side of the join, covering the gap in the process. Like the T Bars, these come in 10 metal finishes and a choice of widths.
How to transition from laminate to a carpet
Likewise, the door threshold for joining a carpet to a laminate floor needs to cater for the movement of the laminate. The Premier Z9 is our most popular Z bar and ideal for joining a carpet to laminate and other types of flooring. The bevelled bar neatly sits over the edge of the laminate, allowing the flooring to move. Meanwhile, on the carpet side, the base strips grip the carpet and keep it under tension creating a smart, strong and safe transition.