laminate floor help needed

[Cbierwiler]

i am installing armstrong laminate flooring in living room to match our dining room and have a question regarding the front door. I plan on starting on the front wall left to right and the door is the. in the Jam picture you can see the issue i have, obviously the laminate will be lower than carpet was so how do i deal with that, do i just go 1/4 from the metal and leave it unfinished there and just go straight across that wall or is there a transition i could use and cut the laminate out a bit at the door for the 1/4 and extra for tracking? Thank you

[Cbierwiler]

the jam picture is the front door bottom. right now carpet just goes right up to the metal. We never use that door really, but i want to do it right for resale down the road.

[ponch37300]

There are a couple of ways to do this depending on how much you want to "customize" it. The easiest way to do this is to buy a transition piece made for laminate. Usually has a metal or plastic U channel that gets screwed to the floor and then you leave your gap between laminate and the U channel and then there is a piece that matches the laminate that snaps into the track and hangs over the laminate so the laminate can float under it. If all you can find it the T style you can use that as is or cut down one side of the T so it's more of an L and the U channel will go tighter to the door. You can also trim the part that fits into the U channel on both ends so the laminate will float under that part also. They also make some transitions for solid wood that will work. Just go to the store where you got your floor and see what they have that will match.

[Cbierwiler]

So the metal piece is right inline with the wall so i would do the 1/4 on the other parts of the wall then for in front of the metal piece, i would cut out 1/4 plus more for the tracking system. then just install the transition in that?

[Cbierwiler]

also should i start on the back wall and finish at the front door or start at the front door area and work back?

[Greg]

If it is the same that is in the dining room I would just continue on from that room. The reason being that if you start from the far wall and go towards the dining room there is no telling what width the last board would be. You really don't want to end with a board that is 1/2" wide next to the floor in the dining room.

Greg

[calderhill]

As long as we're back on the subject, a reminder, that in my haste on a small area, I forgot.

I butted the laminate up against the small area of ceramic tiles at the front door.

Probably the extra moisture helped to add an extra cushion .

Easily remedied in my case but don't forget the expansion gap.

[HouseMedic]

I would also start at the dining room if it is the same and you can either connect to it or use a "T" molding at the Dining room. As far as the door is concerned, they make a strip that is like an end nose piece. It lets the floor expand under it and the front end can go right up against the door sill. They are usually like 3/4" think on the end so it would fit right in where the sill is and you can still lay the rest of the floor along the wall. I will look for a picture of the trim and post it when I find it.

You can get this at Lumber Liquidators.





Ron