- Home
- Education
- Installation Tips and Guides
- Is it necessary to place T-transition expansions or breaks in floating floors?
Is it necessary to place T-transition expansions or breaks in floating floors?
Is it necessary to place T-molding transitions and expansion breaks in floating floors?
Yes, when directed by the manufacturer, T-molding transitions and expansion breaks must be used. The T-Mold, or Transition Strip, is going to cover the small space between two areas of flooring. Having a small added space allows the flooring the 'breathing space to slightly flex with temperature, humidity, and pressure changes, while the gap is covered completely by the top of the 'T' shape.
The reason manufacturers recommend expansion breaks and doorway transitions in floating floors is three-fold. Humidity, Weight, and Span Limitations.
When the indoor humidity climbs over 55% floor boards tend to swell or expand, this is normal. Under certain conditions when high humidity is sustained coupled with the weight of furniture and/or placement within a room, the center of the floor area could actually buckle or lift off the floor -without a planned center expansion.
Some floating floors like bamboo are also heavy and T-transition expansions reduce the likelihood of buckling due to weight and pinch-points around walls and doorways.
In addition, most floating floors like bamboo and laminates have span limitations. This means a product may not exceed a predetermined span of feet in either length or width. In an effort to bypass span or center expansion requirements some installers have doubled the outside perimeter expansion space to a full ¾", however, installations outside the recommendations are viewed as experimental and can lead to installation failure.
As always, let us know if you have more questions. You can also find the nearest LL Flooring showroom by visiting www.llflooring.com/stores/
All the best,
LL Flooring
Also, you may choose from our wide selection of molding, trim, and transition strips for your flooring project for home delivery or store pickup.
The video below will walk through some some steps to learn how to choose flooring transitions, flooring trim, and molding, and give tips on installation. For more tips and guides please visit our Flooring Education page, and stay up with styles, trends, and design on our Inspiration page.
Connect to LL Style on Instagram & Facebook
Shop all new flooring and materials at https://www.llflooring.com/
Find the flooring store closest to you: https://www.llflooring.com/stores/
Or reach out to a flooring expert to describe your project: https://www.llflooring.com/support/customer-care/
Are you a flooring contractor or remodeler? Get the lowest PRO pricing, dedicated expert
service, and store benefits today: https://www.llflooring.com/support-pro/