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Finally nailed the transition strip on a tricky doorway
Been doing carpet for about 3 years now, mostly residential. Had this one doorway last Tuesday where the concrete slab was higher than the hardwood by almost half an inch, and I've always struggled with getting a clean transition there. Tried this old trick where I cut the tack strip at an angle and used a reducer instead of a standard T-molding, and it actually sat flush for once. Took me an extra 15 minutes but it looked way cleaner than my usual hack jobs. Anybody else got a go-to move for uneven subfloors like that?
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nathankim8d ago
On my last job I pulled the carpet back and trimmed the pad at an angle so it tapered down toward the hardwood. That way the transition strip had a smoother ramp instead of a hard bump. @williamw75 is right about the tack strip trick too, cutting it back a little lets you fit that reducer tight against the concrete without forcing it. I spent a good 20 minutes just shaving down the edge of a transition piece with a utility knife to match the slope once. It isn't pretty but it stays put.
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wade_kelly778d ago
Oh man, that's one of those things where you stand back and go "finally" under your breath. I've been at this carpet stuff for about five years now and I still get doorways that make me want to just throw the whole house in the trash and start over. That reducer trick is gold though, I found it by accident a couple years back when I was about ready to just glue the transition down and hope nobody looked too close. The concrete to hardwood gap is the worst because you can't really hide it with padding like you can on wood subfloors. My go-to for uneven slabs is to just sand down the high spots a little with a grinder and a diamond wheel, makes everything sit flatter before I even mess with the transition. I've definitely had my share of hack jobs that looked okay from six feet away but were wobbly as heck up close, so I feel you on wanting it clean.
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williamw758d ago
That reduce trick is one of those things that once you figure it out, you start noticing how many people just half-ass their transitions and call it a day. It's funny how the little details like that separate a job that looks solid for years from one that starts shifting after a few months. You think most folks just don't care enough to learn the small fixes or is it more about not having the time to do it right?
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