Hello,

First time, inexperienced homeowner here...doing my homework. I am installing 3/4" oak flooring in a hallway adjoing two bedrooms with existing 3/4" oak flooring. I ripped up several layers of flooring to get down to the original plank subfloor so the height will match up. Moisture barrier still has to be put down but I am preparing for the door way transitions now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48521969@N00/12463351923/

I have purchased some regular 5.5" wide 3/4" oak boards to use in the doorways and plan to rip them to the exact width I need. My question is whether or not I should go to the trouble of putting in a groove in the board with a router to accept the tongue of the flooring.

I don't own a router but have a friend who could help me out there although due to availability it would realistically mean a 2 to 3 week setback on schedule before all is said and done. And I am not sure the results would be noticeable given the uneven nature of the existing boards that butt up to the header now.


So two questions for now:

1) is it worth it to do this given my inexperience or should I just screw these pieces down into the joist and try to get as tight a fit as possible by using a bevel cut on the table saw?

2) Is there a simple hand tool I can use to get the existing boards nice and flush which would reduce the gap between the header and the perpendicular boards (see close up picture). Again, I could use a router here but it is over my skill level and I still wouldn't be able to get into the corners near the doors.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48521969@N00/12463184445/

Does the header have to be flush? A saddle/threshold would cover the ends of the existing boards and the ends of the new floor boards.
If you want to keep use the flush transition you can cut its groove on the table saw. An oscillating muti tool with a plunge blade should give you a nice cut on the ends of the existing boards...put your straight edge guide on the 'keep' side of the cut. If you want to get a cheapo you can buy an oscillating multi tool at Harbor Freight......get good blades.....Bosch blades will fit.

Thanks for the reply...don't like the look of a threshold especially when it is so flush to begin with. I am hoping sanding will take care of the minor bump that will be left over.

So you would go the extra step to put a groove in that board rather than just screwing it down? Not sure exactly how it would work in a table saw if the groove width would match the boards. I also have the same situation with another bedroom but in that case I would have to use some kind of spline to mate the two boards..

Screws will hold the transition down. Or you could glue and face nail. The groove will let you lock the abutting boards to it and help with any squeaks. Butt the tongue of a floor board to a piece of test transition board and mark it for the groove. The groove will be approx. 1/4". A dado blade would let you do it in one pass...otherwise adjust the fence based on blade width to cut the groove in a couple of passes....first with one face of transition against the fence and then with the other face against the fence. Trial and error to get it right.