How Does Laminate Floor T Molding Work?
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Laminate Floors
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Laminate flooring provides an inexpensive alternative to traditional hardwood flooring. Designed as a floating floor, several products are used in conjunction with the laminate flooring product to give each installation the look and feel of traditional hardwood flooring. One of those products is known as T molding. Understanding the process of using T molding to round out laminate flooring installations requires an understanding of T mold and the manner it is used in the installation process.
Where T Mold Gets the Name
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T mold is a flooring product used to fill gaps where an older floor and a newly installed laminate floor meet. T molding has the shape of a T when viewed from the side. The thick middle section of T mold goes into the gap between two different flooring installations with each arm of the T covering portions of each floor. T mold is only used on floors of the same thickness to prevent the arms of the T from breaking. When laminate installation is attempted on floor transitions of differing thickness, other laminate floor moldings are used.
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How T Mold Is Used
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T molding provides a transition from one floor to another. When installed, T mold becomes a part of the floor by providing a finished look along the seam where two different flooring installations meet. Whenever a previously installed floor, either a laminate floor or one of tile, linoleum or other such floor covering meets a new laminate flooring installation, T mold fills the seam.
T Mold Installation
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T mold is easily installed. The process begins by ensuring that the gap between the older flooring and the new laminate flooring material is wide enough for the thick part of the T to fit into the gap with some room left for climatic expansion of the flooring materials each side of the T mold. The T mold is then cut on a miter saw to the distance required to cover the span of the gap. In doorways and shorter runs the T mold is cut from one piece of wood, but longer runs require the splicing of several pieces of T mold. In these instances the T mold is cut with a bevel on the miter saw and pieced together. Depending on the length of the span, the best look comes from joining T mold in sections of comparable length; avoid long pieces with small pieces at the end.
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