Tile And 3/4" Hardwood Transition Gap

mobowhunter

Very informative forum that you guys have put together and exchange information on here. I have searched and read several different topics over the past year. I have just recently joined because I have a question I would like to get some help on.

We have just installed 18" ceramic tile on a diagonal in a kitchen, breakfast room, foyer, foyer bathroom, etc. This tile runs up to a schluter strip approx 30' long separating the kitchen/breakfast area from the family room. We are going to install 3 ¼" by ¾" hardwood in the family room next week. My plan was to run a piece of the hardwood parallel to the schluter strip, then have the rest of the hardwood on a 45 diagnol butting into the piece that runs inline with the schluter strip.

My questions is, how much gap should we put between the tile schluter strip and the hardwood – is 1/8" gap enough. We cannot use the transition T-piece.

Thanks.

Floordude

Had they planned right, they would have used the right edge profile to accomidate, the wood being installed.

The rule is the expansion gap is equal to the thickness of the flooring.

Now with that said, do what you got to do. There is a reason for Transition moldings. It is to cover the big expansion space that is required, as wood does, what wood does.

Filling the gap you leave has its consequences too!!!! You should see what I have seen, and you would be one scared puppy!!

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mobowhunter

I can only imagine all the crazy stuff people try to push off for various reasons. We planned on using the straight schluter strip for the tile, so we could bring the wood up to the strip as close as possible. I think it has a cleaner look than the Bruce transition T strip - which sticks out like a soar thumb - IMO, and the home owner agrees.

Now I am trying to determine how close I can put the plank next to the schluter - Bruce documentation said 3/4", we normally butt it up pretty close and face nail the plank - I wanted to get some other opnions and experience for this transition. Most of the time we deal with tile/carpet or hardwood/carpet transititions.

Mike Finley

Prease to exprain what is this mysterious 'right edge profile' you speak of to educate non-hardwood installers like myself.

Bill_Vincent

Not for nothin, but most of the homes I do where I'm butting up to hardwood, the hardwood guy'll do his work first, and then I'll come in and do the tile. With 1/4" cement board, I usually have to butter the edge of the last tile just a hair, and that brings the tile flush to the hardwood, and then the only transition is a caulk joint.

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Mike Costello

In this case a picture is worth a gazillion words

Doug M

I do both tile and wood floors myself.I used to do what Bill does but after awhile the grout between the two cracks.I now will use my thickness planer to mill down an 1/8" x 1 1/2" transition strip made from the flooring material.
If you just butt the wood to the tile make sure you have a tube of matching acrylic caulk for the call back when it cracks.
Doug M

Bill_Vincent

Doug, you no reada so good!!

That's not grout between the tile and hardwood. it's siliconized latex caulking marketed by the same manufacturer as the grout and made to exactly match the grout.

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Norrrrrrrrrrrrm

I will be doing just that in a short time. The pics are a good reference. Thanks for posting them.

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Mike Finley

We've always done it the same way as Bill, but I'd still like to know about the mysterious "right edge profile".

415moto

Interesting rule. Its interesting how different trades do things, even when they intersect. If you look at Bill_Vincent's post, his expansion gap is 1/8 inch of caulk. Id bet that if he butted up to 3/4 hardwood, he wouldnt have a 3/4 caulked expansion strip between the HW and the tile.
What say you guys about that?

We always have the HW guys leave about 1/2 or so on the edge of a room and the same in front of tiled areas (note that they do this on their own anyways). We Always use a transition or T molding to separate tile and HW.

But I have seen on site finished HW butted up tight to tile with no expansion gap and the floors have yet to buckle.

Bill_Vincent

Ummmmmm...... that IS 3/4" hardwood. Even if it were 1/2" gluedown, it STILL wouldn't have a gap equal to the thickness. if you want to get technical, the spec I've always been told was 1/4" expansion against hardwood, no matter WHICH thickness. I've never had a problem with 1/8- 3/16 though.

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PrecisionFloors

Expansion matters much more going across the grain than it does going with it. It will expand very little in the pictures Bill posted. It can be done that way and odds are it will be just fine....but. IF there is a problem it is one of the things the inspector will check first and would be a factor in voiding a warranty.

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Doug M

OOOOppps. I use the same caulk on the grout line against a tub or shower pan.They match great and usually will not seperate.The only issue I do have at times is the caulk attracts a bit more dirt.I have to try it with my wood to tile transistions
As far as expansion joints.Most of the floors I do are prefinished.I don't feel that it is as critical with the prefinished flooring.
Doug M

PrecisionFloors

Are they made from a different kind of wood??

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Tile, Hardwood, Laminate, and Resilient
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Doug M

So you think the dimensional stability of unfinished and pre finished are the same???
Doug M

Bill_Vincent

Heck, I'm not even a hardwood guy, and that makes sense to me. It's all the same material, prefinished or not, and therefore will still have the very same rate of expansion and contraction.

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PrecisionFloors

Uh yeah I sure do. It's still the same species of wood so it will have the same coefficient of expansion whether it is site finished or pre-finished. Now if you're talking about engineered vs solids thats a different story all together, but thats not what we're talking about.

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Tile, Hardwood, Laminate, and Resilient
Installation, Sales & Repair - "We do it right the FIRST time"

Floordude

Bill, You learn fast!!

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tiledogg504@hot

Up here in the big state of Maine I prefer to use the same color caulking to match the grout , grout will crack.