How to Curve a Flooring Transition Strip

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Things You'll Need

  • Hair dryer

  • Staples

  • Staple gun

  • Knee kicker

  • 1/2-inch putty knife

Where one flooring type, such as carpet, ends and another, such as laminate, begins, a seam will appear. You can cover it with a transition strip, which gives a finished appearance to both flooring types. When you have a curved seam, use a flexible transition strip. These strips come in lengths up to 50 feet and may be bent to follow any curve.

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Step 1

Unpack the flexible transition strip from its packaging. Uncoil it as best you can. If it continues to wrap back around itself too tightly, aim a hair dryer on the highest setting at the strip to help it uncoil.

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Step 2

Unhook the carpet's edge from the tack strips installed along the curve and peel it back. Lay the flexible transition strip between the other flooring type and the tack strips. Work your way along the curve. Keep pressing the transition strip tightly against the subfloor underneath the other flooring type.

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Step 3

Drive staples through the flexible transition strip and into the plywood subfloor with a staple gun. Work your way along the entire curve. Use as many staples as necessary to hold the flexible transition strip tight to the subfloor. A sharp curve will require more staples.

Step 4

Roll the carpet back over the tack strips. Set a knee kicker about 1 inch from the transition strip. Hit the knee kicker with your knee to pull the carpet forward and hook it back onto the tack strips along the curve.

Step 5

Use a 1/2-inch putty knife to push the carpet's edge down between the flexible transition strip and the tack strips.

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