Carpet-Wood Floor Junction

Using a strip of carpet gripper fastened to the floor with a gap similar to what you would have around the edges of the room.

"Andy Dee" wrote

Thanks Andy I guessed this might be the arrangement, but it doesn't seem as rhobust as the usual threshold strips which protect the "nose edge" of the carpet. Particularly as this is obviously going to be a place of heavy foot traffic. Have you done this yourself before and if so has it stood the test of time?

Phil

You need to cover the joint, to make a job of it. Carpet plus underlay and engineered wooden flooring are not dissimilar in thickness. You can get purpose-made metal threshold strips (with various finishes to match your decor - mine are gold) with a carpet gripper at floor level on one side - and nothing on the other side - and with a slightly domed metal strip over the top which is wide enough the cover the joint - including allowing the wooden floor to expand. The top is joined to the front edge of the carpet gripper strip with a Z-shaped section (in end view) which collapses - and bends to suit - as you tap the cover strip down, allowing the cover to sit at a slight angle if the thicknesses are not quite the same each side.

Hope this makes sense - but shout if it doesn't, and I'll post a photo of this stuff somewhere, on the basis that a picture is worth a thousand words!

Won't the nose edge be protected by the edge of the wood floor, though? You're just raising the top of the carpet up to the same level as the wood floor by placing the gripper strip underneath.

(I'm not seeing how there's potential to damage the carpet with that setup any more than with one of the metal threshold strips that has the curved nose edge)

TheScullster wibbled on Wednesday 21 October 2009 13:34

Cheers

Tim

"Roger Mills" wrote

Thanks Roger

Yes I get the explanation and think I have seen examples of this. But I have heard of these tapered wood infills also, which cover the exposed "edge" of the wood floor and transition to carpet level. Maybe it's good enough, as Andy Dee suggests, simply to finish the carpet as if the wood edge was a wall. I was hoping someone would come back on that specifically :). Must say I would like to get away from metal threshold strips if possible. There are some wood effect ones, but how good they look against real wood is debatable.

Phil

I have four such "transitions" all about 3 years old. They are fine. A

Part of the reason for having one (as I understand it) is that it gives the wood some space to expand into as temperature and humidity varies through the year.

If you want to do that, simply rout a rebate in a bit of hardwood. screw it to floor. Tile up to it.

I only ever use hardwood strips beneath the door and the carpet buts to it just like to skirting. I have hardwood door facings and skirting so it is preferable to the various metal threshold strips. The only problems I've had are.

1. With a thin bedroom quality carpet, the gripper bar tacks can be felt if walked over with bare feet.
2. I the carpet is ever lifted, getting it to stay put again is difficult (for me anyway). SWMBO won't let me lift carpets anymore.

I used to use Ramin and stained it darker but the lighter colour showed through after it got scuffed. They were replaced with particularly dense

Archie