Recently, I had aprox 1200 sq ft of engineered hardwood floors installed in my condo. the installation was completed using the floating floor method over concrete.

The installer has a very good reputation, but encountered a problem.

The wood floor in layed throughout the condo. There is a tiled kitchen in the center of where the floor was installed. Two sides kitchen is surrounded by hardwood... think of a large area of hardwood with a tiled room in the center.

At one point, the planks meet and there is a gap. This is in a hallway that connects two rooms and borders the kitchen.

The installer said that this gap has been filled by a transition molding... I believe it may be called a t-molding.

The problem is that, in the first few weeks after installation, two people have tripped over this transition. It is not at a door threshold, not is it at a transition point where two different types of flooring meet. It is just at a random place in the hallway... where no one expects to encounter a piece of wood that is higher than the rest of the floor.

The installer says if they were to craft something to fill the gap, that is aprox 1/4 the width of a plank, this would void the warrenty for the floor.

My drywaller, painter and cabinit installers have all remarked that they have never seen anything like this before and have all urged me to call the installers back to come up with another solution. (Note: I have not pointed the molding out to these proffesionals... they have all noticed it and asked why it is there.)

Has anyone heard of an alternative solution to filling a gap that I can discuss with my installer. The company that did the installation have a good reputation and I am sure they will discuss any ideas with me.

Thanks for your help!

Valerie

You, your drywaller, painter and cabinet guys are not wood professionals.

An expansion gap is required by the manufacturer, then that is what you better do, and not try and reinvent the wheel.

A "T" molding is required to cover the gap required at a tile transition. If not, expansion can crack the tiles and buckle the floor, if you not keen on keeping the exact temperature and humidity for the life of your floors.

below is a link to a picture.

I understand the need for expansion joints, but this is something people keep tripping over.

Note it is not at a transition point between tile and hw engineering flooring.

The distance between the two walls, that covers the point where the transition molding was placed, is less than 25 feet.

http://picasaweb.google.com/valerie.stowell/HardwoodFloors

Thanks for your opinion.

That's not the place for a "T" molding. My guess is that your installer had to cover up a gap that developed as the wood wrapped around the tile "island" you described. The picture is very out of focus - do your boards have beveled edges or square? Did the installer tell you how much of a gap there was?