gap in engineered floor filled with t-molding

valerie.st · 09-03-2007, 04:12 PM

Take a look:
http://kylerwelch.spaces.live.com/photos/

The installer ended up with a gap of about 1 inch between two planks when installing the final few planks in a very large area. The problem is that he had to lay the floor over an area similar to the shape of a donut, with a kitchen in the middle of rooms and hallways of continuous hardwood.

Regardless of why he ended up with this gap, I now have a trip hazard in the middle of a hallway. The molding is not placed at the corner of where a room and tha hallway meet. It is several inches into the hallway. Totally unexpected.

Any ideas of how an alternative to this molding could be crafted?

Val

DeeTee · 09-06-2007, 09:15 AM

Instead of a molding maybe a piece of the same kind of wood cut to fit the space so that it is flush with the top of the floor would work. Getting it stained the right color could be tricky, but under the circumstances...

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KUIPORNG · 09-06-2007, 09:41 AM

this is really bad workmanship... how can that happen... I suppose he lay it from two end instead of starting from one end.....above suggestion will fix the unlevel... but will not fix the ugly part...

Big Bob · 09-06-2007, 10:45 AM

Engr flooring requires a lot of plan ahead / layout/ and proper transition placement.
Your donut shape would have required a lot of the above and luck too.

If installer is still in the picture / tell him the T transition is not working/ ask him to take it up and rip a plank to fit. Most folks won't notice, you will see every time you look into the hall.

I noticed you did not install shoe molding and the base molding needed a little more prep b4 you painted. But I'm picky, people pay me to be.

Great place for a hall runner or throw rug if you don't like the results.

lwmcd1 · 09-06-2007, 11:05 AM

The problem is the result of poor craftsmanship.
I would have to go with DEETEE's suggestion since it would be the easiest reasonable solution.
The real solution would be to remove it and do it right.
A potentially bigger problem is that the flooring seems to be installed tightly up against the base board.(no Shoe Molding)
If this is the case there is a real possiblty that the flooring will warp.

KUIPORNG · 09-06-2007, 11:46 AM

There is no excuse for shape of donut,..etc.etc... I don't think it is that much more difficult anyway... it is impossible to install without gap... on the contray... it requires precise cut to make no gap...... I bet baseboard is taken off then put back in before/after....I bet this is the first time this guy laying wood... even that... there is no excuse... DeeTee suggestion will work... but then it is more difficult to cut that wood piece without a good tool.... bring back the guy ask him to do it...

zel · 09-06-2007, 03:49 PM

If the room is shaped like a doughnut, then either the room is pretty far out of square, or the installer didnt start properly and snap lines to be sure he was starting in the right spot on the sides of the doughnut. You cant start on one spot and work around the doughnut and hope you end up in the right sopt. IMO

valerie.st · 09-07-2007, 02:22 AM

The installer who completed the job, with the t-molding in the hallway, completed work on a similar condo in March. In that one, we left on the baseboards and he added a "cove" below the baseboard. I thought it looked very nice.

This time, because I was also having the place painted... we removed the baseboards and replaced them after the floor was installed. The installer did leave a small gap between the wall and where the floor begins.

The baseboard removal and replacement was done very poorly, by a "friend".

(I have learned not to accept help from friends... and to just pay someone who knows what they are doing)

I am having the baseboards re-done when the floor gets fixed. Is there somereason why I should have shoe molding installed, or is the existing gap... that will be under the baseboards be sufficient?

All of the comments, are really helping me with dealing with the floor installer.

Thanks.

**AtlanticWBConst.** · 09-07-2007, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valerie.st

....Is there somereason why I should have shoe molding installed, or is the existing gap... that will be under the baseboards be sufficient? Thanks.

No need for shoe-base/ shoe-molding if there is a gap and the Baseboard is installed over that gap to hide it.

The Shoe-molding is only required when you opt to install a floating laminate floor without removing the existing Baseboard - and thus require a gap, and a trim piece to over-lay and hide that gap.

As far as the issue with the transition where it is, the installer should have had better fore-thought and planning - than to have been forced to install the transition molding there to hide the gap....Proper way to solve this would be to re-move one side of the flooring and re-install it up to that point tightly

..with no gap....

Big Bob · 09-07-2007, 09:14 AM

As stated very well above "shoe molding is not required" when base is installed on top.

But, as most floors have their ups & downs, base can not follow the contour.
Shoe molding can. That's part of the clean crisp uniform look in the other condo.

Apparent quality is in the details.

MinConst · 09-08-2007, 07:10 PM

Seems to me this installer went around in a circle and ended up changing direction miway. It should have been started at the far wall and continued in the same direction. Is this hard wood or Lam?