I am almost finished installing a 3/4" unfinished ash floor in a small bedroom that abuts a bathroom with vinyl floor at the 30" entry door to the bath. Both finished floors are at the same level. The transition strip I have is a T-shaped, vinyl strip, about 1-1/2" wide and 1/2" high for the vertical leg. That leg is about 1/8" wide with small barbs molded into it. A grabber or "track base"is often installed to hold the vinyl in place.

At other similar junctions in the house (i.e., vinyl floor to HWF), the builder just stuck the transition T into a narrow gap. This is what the track base looks like:



Clearly, inserting 1/2" max into that will not allow the track base to be on the subfloor with 3/4" boards. Note: This is a typical "rustic" log home and nothing is square. The gap is tapered about 3/16" from one end to the other.

Some options:
1) Mill a slot in the HWF to accept the tongue.
2) Cut the tongue off and glue/tack the track base through the gap to a thin riser strip on the subfloor to get the right height.
3) Some sites recommend just gluing the track base with a heavy bead of structural adhesive. Will adhesive hold it for removal?
4) Add tapered facings to the bathroom underlayment to get a consistent and narrow gap that will hold the transition strip without using the track base.

Can anyone with experience in HWF comment? I do like to remove the transition strips occasionally to clean under them. Hence my concern about option #3.

Thanks.

John

 

I’ve always used metal carpet trim for my transition strip. The come in a variety of colors and are simply screwed on the centerline into the subfloor. They don’t necessarily have a T or center separator. For the short distance that they cover, there is no need for the center of the strip to be supported by the subfloor.

They’re also called seam binders or metal transition strips.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/M-D-1-75-in-x-36-in-Fluted-Brass-Seam-Binder/50064101

 

I’ve always used metal carpet trim for my transition strip. The come in a variety of colors and are simply screwed on the centerline into the subfloor.

Hi, DJ's,

It's wood to "basically" wood. Metal trim is great for carpet to whatever. That's what was there before I ripped the carpet up. As an option I didn't mention, I could mill or buy (?) a piece of ash with appropriate tapering to cover the gap. Three brass, countersunk screws would look nice. Since the bath also meets the kitchen (a design I can't understand, but some women seem to), I wanted to keep to the same style used for transition from the kitchen to the two other rooms.

 

There’s another more labor intensive option...

But first see if your local lumber yard sells stock in 1/2” thickness in something that matches your flooring. Then with a jig, cut angles on either side. Trim to fit the opening and with a couple finish nails along the center line attach it to the sub flooring

If the width of your floorboards are wide enough, you can rip any tongue and groove and then cut or plane it the 1/2” thickness. Proceed as above.

This is what I did in the summer home I built. Everything practically was wood.

 

Very few lumber yards in my area sell ash. All ash trees died a few years ago from the emerald ash borer imported through Detroit, MI in a 2003 shipment from China. Thank you, China. Amish mills (I am in a densely Amish populated area) still have it available, but much of that is highly colored as it is harvested from dead trees. Mine is the older, very white and less bold grain than white oak type.

I do have a lot of ash stored -- about half of which (1000 bf, kiln dried) was harvested from my property. It was a lot of work. What remains standing is useless, except for firewood. Fortunately, I can mill almost any contour I want. For this project, I simply want to match the other transitions that are in place.

When (if) I get to closing that door to a bathroom between the electric range and pantry, I will have more options.

Cutting and planning to 1/2" is something I have already done. Those can be tapered, say from 3/8" to 3/16" to give a narrow space in which to push the transition strip. Generally, I first cut the taper with a jointer, then cut the strip in a rip operation. It's safer, I think.

 

Almost done. Here is the dry assembly. Two tapered strips laid in opposite directions. The gap holds the T-shaped transition strip without track base -- need to sleep on it and decide on the final gap. The asymmetry of the strip v. door jam is noticeable but not too obvious. The asymmetry v. the 4-1/4" flooring will not be too obvious either (narrower on the right side).