FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Submitted By Steve Cooper

Squeaks, cold, moisture—the flooring challenges in your home may seem insurmountable. But any experienced flooring expert knows to prescribe just the right underlayment. Problem solved.

If your house has any of the following conditions, talk to your flooring installer about a cure:

• Your kids’ bathroom floor is always awash in water and you suspect it may be affecting the floor.

• Too much noise on floors upstairs can be heard downstairs.

• The house was built on a concrete slab and you have reason to expect cracks will soon appear in the concrete. In turn, cracks would impact your wood, laminate, stone or tile floor.

• Wearing socks and slippers throughout winter is the only defense against frostbite from cold floors.

• The subfloor in your home is more like a roller coaster of hills and valleys.

• You plan to install a laminate floor as a DIY project and want it to perform as if a pro put it down.

All these conditions and more can be corrected with the proper underlayment. Tell a flooring professional all about your concerns. Only by full disclosure can you get the right type of material to solve the problem.

You’ll be introduced to several product choices. There is usually a good, better and best solution to consider. A good solution should do a reasonable job at a low price. A better solution will almost always be a total cure. And the best solutions offer a combination of characteristics that promise impressive results. For instance, you may just want to have warmer feet, but the best underlayments may add moisture control and great sound deadening in addition to superior insulation against heat loss. 

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Submitted by Steve Cooper

Molding for transition from one flooring material to another appears inconsequential. It hardly seems worth a blog post. That is, until you walk barefoot over a threshold that has been poorly designed. How does a bad transition make you yelp or squirm? Let’s count the ways.

1. Too narrow

2. Too high

3. A too-sharp edge

4. Splinters

5. Nails

You’ll know what’s wrong the minute you step on it. Your foot may glide across the transition but get creased by a sharp back edge. A nailhead may snag your stocking. Or the width will be so narrow that it’s slightly painful if the molding is stepped on squarely.

Wood-molding remedies are easy as long as the design gets attention prior to installation. Don’t let one be made so tall that you can stub your toe on it. Instead, have it built at least 3 inches wide, tapering down at each side. A 6- to 8-inch-wide transition may seem excessive, but it provides comfort. All nails should be set and the holes filled. For screws, countersink holes to eliminate a potential hazard.

If you are using metal or any other material for the thresholds, check for comfort before installtion by testing it with bare feet. Make sure no screw heads will be sticking up.

Let your installer know that you are concerned about comfort at transition points. This often goes unmentioned and, since molding is the last item during installation, it does not always get the attention it needs.

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.