How to Trim Laminate or Hardwood Floors

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By Leah Waddill
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Trim Laminate or Hardwood Floors

All great do-it-yourselfers know that it's the details that make the project a success, or a fail. Here is how to properly trim out your hardwood flooring or laminate flooring! Also, check out my other home improvement articles my searching for Leah Waddill!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Notebook
Money
Nails and Hammer to install when you are ready!

Step 1

When laying laminate, you need to decide one main trim: wall moldings. Most houses already have baseboards. Your first choice is to take these off prior to laying the laminate, then when the laminate is completed you can place them back on the wall. You second choice (and most popular/easiest) is putting quarter round/shoe molding on (pictured on the left). With quarter round you have two choices, stained to match or primered white (the customer or home owner can paint it to match the baseboards before it goes on, or after it is on, but there will be touch up work either way). See links at the bottom of the article for additional quarter round photos.

**HINT** Painted to match the base boards tends to look better, but be prepared for extra work!
Step 2

Next you need to identify any exiting doors that touch the laminate. This consists of front doors, back doors, garage doors, sliding doors, balcony doors, etc. Here you will put an end mold sometimes called an end cap (see picture). For these, you will always want to match them to the laminate.

HINT** For sliding doors, you will only put an end mold on the side where the door actually slides open. The side where the glass is stationary will get the quarter round like we talked about in step one.
Step 3

The most common type of molding is the T Mold (named after it's shape, as seen in the picture here). This type of molding will connect hard surfaces that are fairly level such as laminate, hardwood, and tile.

Go around the house with a note book, see what areas connect to any restrooms/powder rooms. You may also have connecting areas in your kitchen, laundry room, etc.

HINT** Do not count linoleum or stained concrete in this list!
Step 4

For areas that will connect to another hard surface but there are not fairly flush (either the tile is much lower down/high up, or it is another surface such as stained concrete or linoleum), we use what is called a reducer, pictured on the left. You will place the more hollowed out side on the higher up side on the flooring, with the filled in side of the molding on the lower side. This will reduce pressure and not allow it to break when walked on.
Step 5

Last but not least, if you are installing laminate on your stairs, you will need stair nosing, as seen on the left. You will need this on the edge of every step! Please see below for a completed photo to see what it should look like installed.