Floor threshold between floating wood floor and tile recommendation

[minimalistmike]

Hello all!

I have been stuck trying to find a good solution to this floor transition.  I installed a floating wood floor on one side, and tile on the other.  They are slightly different heights.  I initially bought a T molding, the same wood as the wood floor.  I believe I used liquid nails to try and apply it to the floors...but after applying it, and then weighing it down with ~80 pounds, it did not dry after 24 hours.  I pulled it up and wiped off most of the liquid nails.  I am not sure it is a good long term solution either, as the floors are not quite the same height, it does not sit flush.  I cannot find a great solution or alternative.  I was looking for a pliable vinyl threshold for a while, but couldn't find anything.  Am I making this harder than it has to be?  What would you do?

[Fishindude]

If you can't purchase something, I would probably mill my own very low profile red oak threshold, give it a nice surface finish, then anchor it in place with some neatly countersunk, neatly spaced wood screws.  Screws could go in the gap between the two floors so they don't restrict movement of the laminate floor.  I'm not a fan of the vinyl and aluminum edgings and thresholds.

[Frugal Lizard]

following because this is going to come up this summer at our place when we replace flooring.

[Spork]

If you can't purchase something, I would probably mill my own very low profile red oak threshold, give it a nice surface finish, then anchor it in place with some neatly countersunk, neatly spaced wood screws.  Screws could go in the gap between the two floors so they don't restrict movement of the laminate floor.  I'm not a fan of the vinyl and aluminum edgings and thresholds.

What Fishindude describes is what I did with my last floor.

They do make a step-down transition piece in the laminate.  In other words: It doesn't look like a T.  Or... if it is a T, one side is fatter than the other.  They also used to make (haven't shopped for them in a while) a laminate transition that snapped into a channel.  You screw the metal channel into that gap, then snap the transition into it.  It is pretty secure.

[lthenderson]

I always make my own in situations like that. Start with some 1 x material and cut the offset first while the board is still large. It is much safer and easier to work with larger stock. You can easily remove the wood that will sit over the higher surface using a tablesaw, router, or rabbiting hand plane. Once you have the offset to the proper depth, it is easy to rip the thickness and length down to size and then ease the edges so you don't have sharp corners.  If you don't want visible fasteners, attach it using finish nails and then using matched putty to cover the holes before finishing. If you don't have any, I make my own with woodglue and sawdust from the cutting operations. For a more robust way, I will use countersunk woodscrews into the subfloor to hold it down. You can plug the holes using dowels of the same diameter or they make plug cutting jigs to make your own plugs from scraps of the same board. When you glue in those plugs making sure to align the grain pattern and later trimming and sanding flush, it IS invisible.

[RichMoose]

I looks to me like you have a maple hardwood. I would buy a step-down moulding. They should have them stocked in the natural finish (would be very similar to your floor) at Home Depot. If the height of the step-down is too high, just run it through a table saw to get the correct height.

Here's an example of mine on an oak to cork transition. I had to rip about 1/4" off the bottom of the moulding.

[Drifterrider]

I can't tell the height difference.  Have you tried a nice wood look floor to carpet transition?  If I were you I would (when I found a transition I liked), drill pilot holes in the area of the transition that will cover the gap then screw the transition to the sub floor without attaching to either side of the flooring (tile and floating move at different rates). 

[paddedhat]

Get your measurements for the two floor heights, and the width of the gap. Head to a real independent flooring store, with your measurements, and a small scrap of the floating floor. They will have, or can order, a multi-piece transition the has a track that you screw to the subfloor, and a cap molding with various inserts to adjust for height differences. These things are made by laminate floor manufacturers to match their products. They are not cheap (I think the last one I bought was $35 for an 6' piece) but they do the job perfectly.