Building a new home or remodeling an existing one with hardwood floors requires some creativity if you don’t want to use the same flooring throughout. Hardwood offers the opportunity to add opulence or earthiness to any room based on the wood and the stain.
Hardwood flooring helps delineate space between rooms or areas in an open floor plan. When you remodel or build new, you may want different rooms to feature a different aesthetic or vibe. Wood flooring can help you do this, but it does require a transition between two different kinds of wood. This article will explain how to artfully transition between two different wood floors.
Transitions for Floors
You don’t have to hang a divider or install a faux wall to transition flooring. Essentially, three options top the list of how to transition between two different wood flooring types. You can use any of the following methods:
Contrast the flooring types so the choice looks intentional.
Use transition pieces at the point where the two floors meet to create a seamless look and a trip-prevention zone.
Install the second hardwood floor in the opposite pattern or direction to define the separate spaces.
When you lay flooring in separate rooms, always use reducer molding to create a safety barrier. This reduces the likelihood of tripping up on a transition between two flooring types – wood to wood, wood to tile, wood to carpet, etc.
Contrast Flooring Types
Contrast the flooring types, such as using a much darker wood or stain, instead of trying to match them perfectly. For instance, the living room might feature white oak, while the dining room uses mahogany. Because the two contrasts so obviously, the designer’s intent becomes obvious.
Transition Pieces Join Flooring
While most people think of a transition piece as reducer molding, that doesn’t offer the only way to cover a floor joint or gap between two floors. It does represent the most natural way to do so between the doorway to two rooms. Choose from T-molding, thin-metal transition, or a transition strip.
Transitional pieces to join floors of two different rooms can also refer to a pattern of flooring that uses both flooring colors, such as a checkerboard design or mosaic of about six inches to one foot in width. This creates intent between the two flooring colors.
Another similar option creates a small buffer zone out of a different material, such as stone, tile, or glass. Doing this creates visual interest and makes it less obvious that the two kinds of wood differ significantly. It shows a conscious effort on the part of the interior designer to transition between the two areas artistically.
Using Transition Pieces with Floors of Varying Heights
For many reasons, you might have floors in two adjacent rooms of different heights. An individual might have installed new flooring in older homes on top of the original. Some homes feature sunken rooms or multiple levels with one or two steps between the two rooms.
Create a transition piece for these areas to reduce the trip and fall issues. Closing smaller gaps of up to one inch with a transition piece, such as angled-nose molding or square-nose molding, creates a gradual transition. You can also use these types of molding on stair treads. Flush-stair-nose molding offers another option.
Install Hardwood in an Opposite Direction or Pattern
Let’s say that you do choose a nearly matching or matching flooring for two adjacent rooms or to differentiate between two areas in one large room. Installing the two floors in opposite directions can offer a divider between the two areas without a wall or curtain.
For example, in an open floor plan, you can lay red oak flooring in horizontal strips on one side of the room, then switch to vertical strips on the other side to create a demarcation of use. You might devote the horizontal flooring area to dining and the vertical flooring area to the living room.
Another option uses two different patterns to delineate the areas. This could consist of creating a border around the area of one “room” and a different pattern or border on the other portion of the flooring. One side of the vast room might use planks installed diagonally, while the other portion of the room uses a parquet pattern or herringbone installation.
Adding Interest to Flooring Design
Sometimes, adding interest to the center of the flooring helps you with the transitions at the edges. For instance, use a tile or stone pattern at the center, similar to the buffer zone of different materials. This draws the visual interest away from the floor’s edge and to the center of the room. No one even looks at the area where the French doors allow movement from the kitchen and breakfast nook to the dining room.
Shopping for Comparable Materials
Although you vary the colors of the wood from room to room, don’t vary the quality of the wood. Shopping in one spot for all of your hardwood products can alleviate quality mismatch issues.
Stores like From The Forest offer a wide selection of hardwood flooring and plywood, but every choice offers the highest-quality materials. This factor helps balance the home’s appearance when moving from room to room, flooring to flooring.
You can pick up stains, cleaning supplies, and scratch correction kits by choosing a store that specializes in hardwoods. These items help you make your hardwood flooring investment last. Shop From The Forest today for your new hardwood flooring, molding, and trim, plus the supplies to keep it all looking great. You can find a variety of hardwoods and produce the various aesthetics you want in your home.