Laminate Expansion Strip.

Mike Finley

Okay, whats this all about. Customer today during the course of some conversation shows me where she keeps a door mat on the middle of her floor between the kitchen and dining room because the installer of her manufacturer floating floor left was he called an expansion strip. The expansion strip consists of about 1/4 inch of exposed tongue on the flooring running there.

What is all this about? Apparently he told her he had to do it, it was required to install the floor correctly.

Tom R

I'm no expert on laminate flooring, - - but I would guess his 'claim' is probably true, - - though it still leaves no excuse to leave an exposed tongue. No reason not to be able to at least install a 'transition' strip.

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Floorwizard

Laminate should have T mold wherever there is a door to another room.

I am not sure about the Tounge portion...

what's with that?

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Donedat

On hardwood flooring, every 20 feet we are supposed to leave an 1/8 inch expansion space. This is done by use flat washers on the whole length of the floor. Don't normally do this in a residential setting unless the floor is really really wide.

Laminate flooring really doesn't need a 1/4 inch expansion gap unless you are installing over a huge area. Besides, most laminate jobs are floating systems, thus expansion gaps are not necessary. Floating means that the whole floor is glued or clicked together as one massive panel which totally negates the need of gaps.

In a residential setting, 1/4 inch gap around the perimeter of the room between the flooring and the wall is all that is necessary.

Yup, this floor guy needs some educating.

Teetorbilt

There should have been some sort of transition. I'm thinking that the installer was an AHole and underbid the job. Transitions are rather expensive, purchased or manufactured. I'm betting that he bugged before he started losing $.

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Mike Finley

That's what I was thinking. The run from the expansion slop gap is only about 10 feet both sides. I thought there was some sort of T molding for this, but didn't know the real name.

How would this be fixed? Customer has this beautiful floor, nice house, but has a door matt covering this gap because it is so ugly.

Mike Finley

He was the infamous friend recomended by one of their friends!

Donedat

If you can find the brand name of the flooring you're in luck.

If it is click lock it is also a plus.

If it is glued together that would be a toughy.

Long story short, if you find the brand name, you can pull the wood back to the gap, and start laying from there with the new wood. Sometimes you can reuse the old stuff, but not always.

Another thing you can try is rent some laminate floor straps, glue in the "expansion gap", and the try to suck the floor together. Let it dry over night. Most likely, though, it will have to be torn back to the gap and the relayed properly.

Tom R

Not too clear, Mike, - - are you saying both rooms have the same laminate, and they're both the same color??

In that case, - - at this point in time, - - I would 'knife' off the exposed tongue, - - and cut a custom 'filler' strip to fit in flush, - - if you can't match it exact, - - 'contrast' it, - - and sell it as an 'accent' strip. You really can't go wrong here, - - your only competition is a welcome mat!! :Thumbs:

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Donedat

Tom, you could do that...if you wanted to...it would beat the rug...but it won't stay 'cause the floor is floating and was badly installed. Figure out what the brand name and model number is and go from there. That will determine how easy your fix will be.

Mike Finley

Exactly, think a kitchen and a dining room separated with a leg of an L of cabinets, you walk between the rooms in the space left between the wall and the end of these cabinets. (about 3 feet) at this spot is where the 'transition gap is located' from the gap going one way you have about 10 feet of laminate flooring until you are out of the kitchen and onto carpet and going the other way you have about 10 feet of laminate flooring until you are out of the dining room and onto carpet.

I'm not going to be fixing this, just looking to give them some solid advice instead of all the - well maybes they have been hearing.

Starting with the manufacturer sounds logical.

J2Jonner

In lue of the floor being laid right from the get-go, sounds like a transition t-moulding will be her most cost effective solution. Some skillfull cutting with a small circular to widen the "gap" to the width required for the transition base + small gap on each side, screw the base down, snap the T moulding in place. The installer must have been a real hack to not at least install a transition if having trouble laying the floor in a contigious fashion.

Jon

Teetorbilt

I'm with J2 on this one. You will need to look at some 'T' stock to understand. You will want about a 3/4" gap between the two floors. The T base is about 1/2 to 5/8" wide. The cut doesn't need to be all that clean either as the T will cover up small chips and other indescretions.

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Mike Finley

I'm about to head out the door, but thinking about this, shoot even a T strip with the bottom cut off and set in this gap with silicone might even be a simple solution vs the door mat, do you think? At least it would cover the gap. The gap just looks like two pieces of laminate floor not locked together.

Tom R

Yeah, - - I'm not talking about 'floating' a strip, - - I'm talking about glueing and shooting it flush.

Sure, Mike - - a T-mold or flat-profiled transition strip can be shot in place, - - but installing a strip anything but flush between two of the same floors amount to nothing but 'tacky' and a 'tripper' to me. The 'eye' won't expect a change in profile.

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Grainywood

Sounds freaking ridiculous. Leaving the tongue exposed? Sounds like maybe he installed the two areas separately and came up to the meeting area and realized there was going to be a gap and left it there making up some excuse about an expansion gap. Was it a wrap around layout? The installer starts at one place, wraps around but because he doesn't keep the planks straight, and tight as he goes, when the boards finally meet up on the other side, the gap is either too small or too large to be filled with a plank.

mawbell3

Actually in Kronotex's instructions it says if there is 25' width or 40' length you need an expansion T strip. So the contractor was only following manufacturer recommendations most likely

RhinoFlooring

Old school Pergo floors needed the doorways transitioned off to continue with laminate into another room for the most part your new generation laminates you can flow right threw

Mike Costello

'Yup, this floor guy needs some educating"

Laminate floors going over a span of 25 ft in the width need an expansion joint.

Anything over that and its too much wieght for the floor to properly expand and contract. It will buckle.

A T molding should have been used though

Mike Costello

As long as its not a span of over 25 ft in the width