How to Transition Between Two Different Wood Floors

Understanding how to transition between two wood floors is essential when starting a home renovation project. Knowing how to transition the flooring will make the job a lot less stressful and more straightforward. This post will detail the steps in transitioning between wood floors by discussing the project’s methods.

Methods

There are three different methods of transitioning from one type of flooring to another: floating, butt joint (dry), and mortise-and-tenon joint (wet).

Floating

Floating does not require any transition and simply lays new flooring over the existing floor without any transition. In most cases, floating can only be done when the existing wood flooring is unfinished or has a finish damaged by moisture. The risks associated with this option are that there will be a noticeable difference in the heights between the two floors and issues with moisture that could lead to future problems.

Butt Joint (Dry)

A butt joint is where the existing flooring is unfinished or has a finish that will not be damaged by moisture. It requires the use of a concrete subfloor to ensure enough strength to support new flooring. The transition method uses a tongue and groove board that is thin enough to fit in between both floors without any noticeable gaps in between. This option will help level the two floors out and make it appear as one but may present moisture moving into your new surface due to small gaps between boards that are not sealed properly or are of different types of wood.

Mortise and Tenon (Wet)

A mortise-and-tenon joint uses a tongue and groove board that is thin enough to fit in between two floors and uses a 1″ thick connecting piece called a tenon that is mortised into each floor. This option requires using a concrete subfloor since this type of connection in wood flooring requires more strength from the floor.

Conclusion

There are many options for transitioning between two different wood floors. Floating or butt joint (dry) can be done for most cases, but mortise-and-tenon is typically only done on the transition between wood and tile or another surface that will not be damaged by using moisture to create a strong bond between the two floors.