How to Install Transition Strips in Doorways: A Step-by-Step Guide
Create a smooth flooring transition from room to room
If you are installing flooring in adjoining rooms, then you will need to account for adding transition strips to ease the transition from one room to another. Learning how to install transition strips helps to eliminate the gap where two types of flooring meet. This makes it more visually appealing and reduces the likelihood that someone will trip, as well as protects the edges of the flooring. If the flooring is professionally installed, then transition strips are typically included in the flooring installation cost.
What Are Transition Strips?
Transition strips are small strips of wood, metal, vinyl, or rubber that are installed in a doorway where two flooring materials meet. The flooring materials can be the same or they can be different, but either way, transition strips create a safe transition between spaces.
Choosing the Right Transition Strips for Your Flooring
Flooring transition strips come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, so choosing the right transition strips can make the job a lot easier. To choose correctly, you must ask yourself a few questions about the project:
What flooring materials am I using? There are different styles of transition strips to account for transitions between carpet and tile, carpet and laminate, tile to laminate, wood to carpet, and laminate to linoleum flooring, among other combinations. Certain transition strips work best for different materials, while others are designed for joining the same materials.
Which way should the transition strip face? For floors of the same height and relatively the same hardness (think wood to tile), a T-molding strip is set in between the flooring materials. For different materials with different heights (think wood to carpet), a reducer joins them together and gives the appearance of one material being tucked under the edge of the strip.
What material do I want the transition strip to be? Transition strips are available in wood, metal, vinyl, and rubber. If you’re transitioning from wood to wood or another hard material, you would likely choose a wood strip. If you are transitioning from tile to carpet, for instance, you may choose metal or vinyl.
6 Steps to Install Doorway Transition Strips
Follow these steps for proper installation.
1. Prepare Your Subfloor
If you are installing a transition strip along with the flooring, you must leave a space between the two areas of flooring where the transition rail will sit. The width of the gap will depend on the individual rail and should be measured and marked before you install the flooring, but it is typically around one inch. The rail should sit between the two door jambs at the narrowest spot in the doorway.
If your flooring is already installed and you are adding a transition strip, there is a little more to do. To prepare your subfloor, you will need a few supplies:
Dremel saw or multi tool
Shop-vac
Measuring tape
To cut the flooring to fit the transition strip, measure the width of the transition strip and mark the correct width on the floor. Using a Dremel saw or multi tool, cut through the flooring until you have cut a channel that can accommodate the transition rail. Use the shop-vac to clean the area thoroughly.
2. Measure the Length of the Doorway
Use a tape measure to determine the distance between the two door jambs (i.e., the parts of the door frame that stop the door from closing beyond 180 degrees, also the narrowest part in the doorway). You will install the transition strip in this area so that it does not interfere with the opening and closing of your door.
3. Cut the Transition Strip
You can skip this step if your transition strip only comprises a metal rail. But if you have a vinyl or hardwood covering for your strip, use a hacksaw to cut it to the same length as the rail (this will be the measurement you took in step one). Eventually, all you will have to do is lay the transition strip on top of the rail you installed and snap it into place.
4. Cut the Metal Rail
Measure the length of the channel where the metal rail will go and cut it to size using a hacksaw, handsaw, or other appropriate saw.
5. Screw or Glue the Rail to the Subfloor
Next, screw or glue the rail to the subfloor. The subfloor is the material found in the one-inch seam you left during the preparation step. The advantage of using construction glue instead of screws is that it offers a more streamlined appearance and simpler installation. However, screwing the rail into the floor will make it more secure, so use screws for high-traffic areas.
If you are using construction glue, apply it to the back of the rail you cut in step four, then push the rail into place, holding it down for about 30 seconds to adhere fully. If you are using screws, lay the rail in place, then use a drill to drive screws through each hole.
Pro Tip: If you have a concrete subfloor and want to use screws, you will need a masonry drill bit and concrete anchors to secure the rail.
6. Place the Transition Strip
Place the transition strip in the rail and make sure it is positioned properly and securely. It should just snap into place.
Tips to Installing Transition Strips for Different Floors
Installing transition strips requires different techniques, depending on the type of flooring you are working with.
Wood or Laminate Floors
Installing transition strips for wood or laminate floors will require you to cut a channel between the door jamb to accommodate the transition strip. Once the channel is cut, you can screw or glue the rail to the floor before installing the transition strip.
Carpet
If you are installing a transition strip between carpet and another flooring material, including another area of carpet, you will have to cut through the carpet and then cut a strip off to make a large enough gap to accommodate the metal rail. You may have to remove the tack strips and then reattach them where the edge of the carpet will be. You can also use a carpet stretcher to make sure the carpet is taut when reattached to the tack strips.
Concrete Subfloors
If the subfloor is concrete, you will need to use a masonry bit and concrete anchors to install the transition rail. Make sure to measure where the holes are in the rail and to drill holes in the concrete at corresponding measurements.
Transition Strip Installation: DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Installing floor transitions yourself is a straightforward DIY project that most people can complete in an hour or two, even with limited construction experience. The cost to DIY this project is around $25 to $40 for supplies, and varies depending on the material of the transition strip you get (i.e., wood usually costs more than a simple metal rail). If you would rather hand off this project to a pro, you can hire a handyperson to complete it. Typically, a handyperson charges around $20 to $25 per hour for simple projects like this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many doorways feature two door jambs. These are installed on both sides of a doorway to prevent the door from swinging too far. Door jambs usually stop the door at 180 degrees when closed. A doorway floor transition sits between the door jambs on the floor, helping to create a safer and more aesthetically pleasing transition from one flooring type to the next.
Door transitions can work with virtually any flooring type; however, different transition strips lend themselves better to specific flooring types. For instance, if you are bridging the gap between a taller floor, like carpet, to a shorter floor, like hardwood, then you will want a transition strip with a slight slope to bridge the height difference. These transition strips are called reducer molding. On the other hand, if you are bridging two floors of the same height, you can use flat transition strips, such as T-strips and seam binders.
The gap that you will need for transition strips depends on the width of the metal rail, but you will typically need about a one-inch gap. To make sure, you can read the instructions that come with the transition rail and measure the rail itself to get the most accurate measurement.
Whether or not transition pieces go under the baseboard depends on a few different factors. If the transitions are being installed with the flooring and before the baseboards, then they will go under the baseboards. If the baseboards are already installed, then it depends on whether or not you want to remove them or undercut them. If not, the transition pieces can butt up against the baseboard.