I installed my hardwood floor flush with the tile in front of the fireplace (actually the other way around but who cares). I even put a slight bevel on the boards next to tile and planned to caulk it with caulk that matches the tile grout. However, I don't think this really looks that great unless the tile is perfectly done and the hardwood is exactly level with the tile.

I've seen fairly narrow (about 2" wide) picture frame style borders that cover the gap and look good. I figure the easiest way to make this is to get some 8/4 maple stock, put a bullnose on it with router and slice it off. I could by some T molding and modify it but those are kind of bulky aren't they?

Then I would attach it with screws and plugs.

Is this how ya all do it?

You mean like this.

Sorry, wasn't as clear as I could have. I currently have what you showed in the picture and in my case I'm not sure it looks that great because the tile edge is not as clean as it could be. I have seen pics here where the installer made an overlap molding (not a reducer as tile and hardwood are at the same level) to hide the gap between tile and hardwood.

My gap is only about a 1/4" (main field is 90 deg to tile so expansion is not really issue) but I think it may look more elegant to have a fairly narrow, relatively thin picture frame on top of hardwood and tile to cover the gap especially since there is no real foot traffic here.

Question is really should I make it or modify a T-molding. T-molding seems a little bulky.

The thinner it is the more fragile it will be. You could plane down a stock t-mold seems like the would be fine. Predrill or just glue the thing down so it doesnt split.

Kevin is right. The thinner it is, the more prone to damage, during and after install. I've used 5/16" thick flooring (oak) to make my own trims in the past.
Simply rip it to the width you like then either use coarse sandpaper or a block plane to campher (ease) the sides. Finish it to match the flooring. If your flooring isn't oak, you can rip the flooring down but if it's engineered, that won't work because the sides are exposed. You'll need to get some solid stock of the same type of wood. If you can just glue it down, great. I've also use my brad (pin) nailer for installing delicate trim as well but you still risk it splitting near the ends.

Hey Floorguy,

How can "get away with" installing the tile and wood floor so that they butt up against each other like that? Aren't you supposed to have an expansion gap (for expansion of both the wood AND the tile)?

I'm installing wood floors in my house in a couple of weeks and so I'm "knee deep" in the planning stage. I had always intended to use a threshold molding where the kitchen tile and living/dining room wood floors meet, but a flush floor as you've shown here would (obviously) be nicer. In a friends house, a pro installer did just that - kitchen tile and wood floors from living room installed flush with no transition molding, and both kitchen and living room are quite large (i.e., more wood to expand). Looks great but I always wonder....

So guys, what's the scoop? You're always talking about how you have to include room for expansion, and yet there seems to be exceptions....

Wood expands with the grain at about 1/10th the rate across the grain. Of course, engineered has grain running both ways so it will expand much less than solid wood.

Still need some gap - I believe the TCA (Tile council of America) recommends expansion gaps in general be no less than 1/4" and filled with caulk (I may be wrong on this figure).

Some people will put solid strip against tile such that the strips are parallel with the tile but then that edge is effectively locked and thus the other end of the room must have allowance for twice the specified expansion. Still risky to lock down any part of room however...

Edit -in - actually I should say "may be locked down". It's probably only really locked down in a controlled fashion if there are screws holding the last strip to the subfloor. Otherwise you'll probably get some crush on the caulk joint and then it's only locked when the caulk joint is crushed which is probably a bad thing. If you search the web for "mixed media" +hardwood + tile I think you can find more info on this.

That is not a solid wood. Don't even think about doing that with a solid. Engineered expands more in the length of the boards then it does in the width, both very little.

You may not be able to tell by the angle of the picture, but there is an 1/8" gap around the tile.

Solid wood does not keep growing. It is dead, and when it gains moisture it does not grow in the length. The wood vessels are like a sponge, and the tubes/vessels get fatter as it gains moisture.

TCA handbook I have one of those too. What is the expansion in 2 or 4 - 12 x 12 tiles of black granite? Is the expansion specified because the tile grows, or is it specified because the building moves?? Ask Dave Gobis.




alexh, where did the 1/10th of an inch come from? Under what conditions?? I didn't realize this was a set number. Where in the NWFA or NOFMA manuals and standards, does it specify 1/10th of and inch?





I have yet to see a floor expand and take up the entire expansion gap, unless it was a flood next to the wall. It buckles out in the middle of the floor somewhere in between the walls, as the fasteners do a pretty good job of clamping it down. You do know that because of the fastener and the angle it is inserted into the board, the wood expands in the direction the tongues are facing, when it was installed.(nail/staple down)








In this case, you need to cut a wider gap around the tile to accommodate the leg on the "T" molding and still allow the required expansion, if it indeed a solid nail down.

I meant that the ratio of expansion in length as compared to width is 1/10th as much, or as you said effectively zero for all practical purposes. Did not mean 1/10th inch.

I think the quarter inch tile thing is not so much because tile expands but often the expansion joint is between wall tile and floor tile or 2 walls like in a shower and in that case you have to account for expansion of the framing and house settling, earthquakes etc.

Very good point - if you have to have solid against tile, the tongue should be pointed away from the tile. When I did my bordered floor, I made sure that the border strips had the tongue facing the wall figuring that when the field expands it would be less likely to fight the border and pop the miters in the border. Makes for more face nailing however.

I also agree that with a nail down the fasteners do most of the work and in fact most of the expansion eventually shows up as compression set which is what forms gaps.