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0 How to Choose and Measure the correct Floor Trim and Flooring Accessories.
If you are fitting a new floor, regardless of what it is, you will need to buy moldings and trims to finish off the job properly and make a good, professional-looking finish. A common question is “What type/amount of moldings do I need?” Floor trim comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and this article should enable you to confidently measure and order the correct amount and type for each specific purpose.
Various terminology is used to describe floor moldings; transition strip, corner strip, and quadrant for example. Basically what all these terms are describing is what we call floor molding. The illustrations are just to give you an idea of what I am talking about. You may well find that the product you buy is slightly different from these examples. Don’t worry, they all do the same job and should look just as good.
Types of Floor Trim
Quarter Round Molding
Quarter Round Floor MoldingThis type of floor molding is used to cover the expansion gap between the edge of the floor and the wall or skirting board (if there is one). If you have, for example, a 1/4(6mm) inch expansion gap, you would purchase a quarter-round molding that was approximately 100% wider than the gap. So in this case the molding would be 1/2 (12mm) inch. A cheap way to buy these floor moldings is unfinished – you will need to stain them to match your flooring. Alternatively, you can buy them pre-finished in the same material as your floor but obviously at a higher cost. They are widely available from your local hardware store.
Square Nose or End Cap Molding
End Cap Floor MoldingThis type of floor molding is most commonly used to “join” two flooring materials of differing types. The molding provides an easy way to make a professional join without the trouble of butting two flooring types end-to-end; it is quick and will save you a lot of time and trouble. Other uses for it are where there is no need for an expansion gap but you still want to use an edging strip for a more aesthetic look; against metal door track, walls, kitchen bench tops, or in fact as an alternative to quarter round.
Reducer Molding
Reducer Floor MoldingMore specific to joining two flooring materials together, the reducing strip is used where two floors meet but are at differing heights. This is common where two different flooring materials are used and provides a neat and simple way to solve the problem easily and cheaply. Again, all these moldings are available from your local hardware store, in various materials but commonly wood. They provide a measure of anti-trip protection as well, so there are some safety benefits to using these floor moldings too.
“T” Molding
If you have two flooring materials that meet at the same height, then you should utilize T Molding. As a jointing solution between connecting rooms, this molding looks professional and is quick and easy to fit. One important factor to consider when using this type of floor molding is that both flooring heights need to be exactly at the same height as each other. I have seen this floor molding used on floors that were clearly not the same height, firstly it looks awful, and second, the strip will almost certainly break at some stage of its life, so use it wisely. Make sure too, that there is adequate space between the floor edge and the “T” piece of the strip, in other words, room to expand and contract.
Stair Nose Molding
Stair Nose Egdning StripUsed to cover the edge of two 90-degree joined edges, this molding is available in either overlapping or flush molding. Overlapping covers more sins than the flush type and is much easier to fix in place. The molding makes vertical and horizontal joins invisible and looks very professional too.
The problem with using the flush type of floor molding is that the edge of the timber you are sitting the molding over needs to be dead straight. This is fine if you can use it over a factory-machined piece of timber, but in practice, this isn’t always possible, which is why I favor the overlapping type.
