How to Transition Between Two Different Wood Floors?

Q: Which Material Should Be in Two Different Types of Flooring?

A transition strip is required between two different types of flooring.

In order to maintain the aesthetic appeal of your home, it is important to consider the flooring. Opting for hardwood flooring is the best choice for a floor covering. You can also lay two different types of flooring next to each other. This guide will provide tips on how to transition between two different wood floors.

Many homeowners choose to lay wooden floors in their houses. There are different styles of wood floors available, such as traditional, everlasting style, or a contemporary, trendy look. You can pick from various wood grains and patterns.

There are many floor transition ideas. If you want to install two different wood floors in adjoining rooms, this article will help you determine its ways.

Best Materials for Transition Strips Between Two Different Floors

Many materials are used for this purpose, depending on the floor type. You can also use materials like wood, aluminum, or vinyl.

Aluminum

This material is best in humid areas and resists damage from daily traffic. Customization of strips is easy, and various finishes of these strips are available.

This material is best for a kitchen to living room floor transition.
Wood

These are available in both unfinished and pre-finished routes. The natural looks of these options will mix into your current floors.

They are available in different sizes, shades, and breadths in different flooring types.

Wood transitions are the best choice as they are the same flooring. However, they need maintenance more than others.
Vinyl

Vinyl is a waterproof transition. So, you can install it in any area of your house. They are long-lasting, easily maintainable, and come in various colors.

How Can You Transition Between Two Different Wood Floors

When the two flooring types are different, you need to place transitions or create uneven designs.

Transition using seam binder
Uneven floor transition ideas
Transition strips

Let’s talk about them in detail.

1. Transition Using a Seam binder

When you have to transition between floors, a seam binder is essential. It makes an even transition. They are created to link two floors of the same height.

The seam binder is pre-finished and made from vinyl or aluminum. You can stain it to make it equal to your floor.

Aluminum Seam Binders

Aluminum seam binders are transition strips made of aluminum as they come pre-finished, so there is no need to stain them after installing them.

There are various breadths and shades of aluminum seam binders that you can select.

Wooden Seam Binders

Wooden Seam Binders are the transition strips made of wood and come in pre-finished wood. They are available in different breadths.

2. Uneven Floor Transition Ideas

Many people use transition strips to link two different flooring materials, specifically when the shade and design are different. As both floors do not match, uneven floor transition strips are used.

Consider an example: a dining room has dark wood flooring and a light brown carpet in the living room.

You can solve this issue by carpet to wood transition strip that mimics the herringbone design of the dark wood flooring.

The herringbone design can be made an uneven shape to provide accommodations to the pattern for the carpet. You can give a consistent look to your home by using this style which can balance well together.

3. Transition Strips – Floor Transitions for Uneven Floors

When there is a gap between the floorings of unequal height, the transition strip can be used. These strips are made from long-lasting materials aluminum, vinyl, or wood. They cover gaps around 3/8-inch.

Here are some awesome transition strip options for you to try out.

Prefinished Transition Strips

The transition strips come prefinished, but you can customize them. These strips can be stained and finished with a color that you have selected.

They are available in different materials like vinyl, wood, aluminum, etc.

Unfinished Transition Strips

You can customize the appearance of your floor by using unfinished transition strips made from wood.

Purchase a type of prefinished board that you have selected as a transition strip and match it with your flooring by staining or finishing it.

Tips for Transitioning Between Two Hardwood Floors

The following tips should be kept in mind to confirm that your floor transition appears as you designed it.

Select Contrasting Colors

When you place the in-line wood floors contrasting colors, you will have a good finished product.

This shows that two light colors should not be kept adjacent. Use a dark color if the second flooring material is light.

The too close together colors look like a mistake. They show that all the colors are not matched.

Two dissimilar materials must be picked. You can also hire a professional to match the stain and wood.

Consider the Room Size

Before you select flooring, the size of the room must be considered. The color of flooring and walls should be light-colored for a small room. If you color it dark, it will look smaller.

Rooms with light colors give a bigger look, brightening the rooms. For big rooms, you can use dark colors.

You must think about the size of the room, the natural light in it, and the color or type of wood for the room.

Consider Other Flooring Types

Consider other flooring types if you have tried the above tips and ways, but none is suitable for your space.

The same principles can be applied to create a transition, but there might be no need to worry about color combination or design.

Two wood floors can be tricky to install side by side. Go for another material, if you think it will be suitable.

Putting Two Different Wood Flooring Side-by-Side

You can put two different wood flooring side by side, but you have to do it right.

Installing two different sized or colored wood floors adjacent, with the same direction of planks, and without transition, it will look awful. This will show that you cannot replace the floor at once.

If you have to place different wood floors side by side, special layouts should be selected to make a real transition. It should not look like an accident.

Transitions should occur at the room entrance, not the center of the room. It is essential to take materials like borders to balance the wood differences if you cannot do this.

Same Wood Floors in a House

A house does not need to have the same hardwood floors. It looks beautiful when you make it occur, and occasionally, it is not practical. Installing a whole house of wood flooring at one time is costly.

Besides, some rooms with different shades and designs look fine, no matter if they are in the same house.

Floorings of different colors and stains will look best in the same house if you have successfully transitioned between the floors.

You can fix the separation of different wood floors by a piece of carpet or any other floor material.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Must the Wood Floors Be the Same in The Whole House?

Floors do not need to be the same throughout the house. It is good if they do not match. It is not easy to match the whole house’s floors. Its result will be unpleasant.

Which Material Should Be in Two Different Types of Flooring?

You need a transition strip between two different types of flooring.

What Is the Price to Refloor a Home?

The price to refloor a home with linoleum or vinyl is around $3 and $10 per square foot. The cost of luxury vinyl is higher than this range.

In general, solid hardwood costs between $8 and $20 per square foot while engineered hardwood flooring costs between $3 and $18 per square foot to refloor your home.

What Is the Procedure to Transition from One Floor to Another?

Use T-molding, a transition strip, and a thin metal transition
Install a threshold piece
The transition between floors of different heights
Lay one floor with a border

Conclusion

Homeowners need to think of some factors before transitioning between two different wood floors to make an attractive appearance of the floors. These factors are contrast, different shaped lines, and plank direction.

By reading this article, you will understand how to transition between two different wood floors. The wood grains should be different and do not use the same colors.

Take benefit of furniture and other decorations to divert from different wood floors.