What Do You Use to Join Two Different Types of Flooring at a Doorway?

Metal Tack Strip

• Opt for a tack strip to connect carpet to tile flooring. Purchase a metallic tack strip in gold or silver to harmonize with your flooring and room decor. Install the tack strip in the doorway and nail the strip through the carpet to the subfloor. Half of the metal strip will cover the edge of the tile, but there is no need to secure the strip to the tile. The carpeted side holds the strip in place. You can transition from carpet to tile with a tack strip that is attached to the subfloor, hidden from view, according to Creative Carpet Repair. Cut the carpet to fit and stretch it over the tack strip, tucking the edge under the tile.

T-Molding

• Select t-molding to join tiled floors to wood floors. T-molding is a type of wood molding that has a small narrow strip of wood attached to the underside of the plank. Install t-molding next to your hardwood flooring and allow one side of the molding to cover the adjoining wood floor plank, and the other side to overlay the tile. T-molding does not require drilling into the tile, and installation does not damage the surface of your wood flooring. Cut t-molding to fit the length of your doorway.

Overlap Reducer

• Install an overlap reducer to join floating wood floors to other floor coverings that have a low vertical height. Overlap reducers connect wood floors to vinyl, linoleum, laminate and non-plush carpeting. An overlap reducer is a type of wood molding that is constructed to curve around the edge of wood flooring on one side and angle downward at a slant to cover the edge of an adjoining floor surface. Use a saw to trim the overlap reducer to fit in your doorway.

Baby Threshold

• Use a baby threshold to transition from wood floors to carpet, especially if your doorway has a door jam or a sliding door. A baby threshold, also referred to as an end cap, is a wood molding that allows for extra expansion when needed. It is designed to cover laminate or hardwood flooring on one side and slide right up against carpet on the other side. Since a baby threshold is not securely attached to carpet, it can slide, shift and give slightly when necessary. Use baby thresholds to attach carpet or wood flooring to masonry, like fireplaces.