How do I transition kitchen flooring between rooms in my NB home?

The best way to transition kitchen flooring between rooms in your NB home depends on whether the flooring types and heights match. When the kitchen floor meets a different material in an adjacent hallway, dining room, or living area, a well-executed transition keeps the look clean, prevents tripping hazards, and accounts for the expansion and contraction that NB's seasonal humidity swings cause in flooring materials.

If you are installing the same flooring type continuously from the kitchen into adjoining rooms, such as running LVP throughout the main floor, you may not need a transition strip at all. Continuous flooring creates a seamless, modern look and makes smaller NB homes feel more spacious. However, most LVP manufacturers require a transition strip or expansion break in doorways for any continuous run exceeding 30 to 40 feet (check your specific product's installation guide). This is especially important in New Brunswick because indoor humidity swings from 15 to 25 percent in winter up to 60 percent or more in summer cause LVP to expand and contract. Without proper expansion gaps, the flooring can buckle or develop ridges.

When transitioning between two different flooring materials, such as kitchen LVP meeting hallway hardwood or living room carpet, a T-molding transition strip is the standard solution. T-moldings work when both floors are at the same height and create a clean bridge between the two materials. They cost $3 to $10 per linear foot for quality aluminum or colour-matched strips, and a typical doorway is 30 to 36 inches wide. For transitions where one floor is higher than the other, use a reducer strip that ramps down from the higher surface to the lower one, eliminating the trip hazard.

For kitchen tile transitioning to LVP or hardwood, a Schluter strip or similar metal edge profile provides a clean, durable transition. These aluminum or stainless steel strips are installed during tile installation with one edge embedded under the tile and the other edge finishing neatly against the adjacent flooring. They cost $5 to $15 per linear foot and give a professional result that lasts.

Placement and Installation Tips

Place the transition directly under the door when it is closed, centred in the doorway. This is the visually cleanest position and ensures the transition is partially hidden when the door is shut. If there is no door, centre the strip in the opening.

In older NB homes, subfloor heights between rooms are sometimes uneven due to additions, settled floors, or different subfloor materials (plywood in one room, original plank subfloor in another). Before installing any transition, check that both floor surfaces are level at the meeting point. If there is a significant height difference beyond what a reducer strip can handle (more than about half an inch), the subfloor in the lower room may need to be built up with plywood or levelling compound, adding $200 to $500 to the project.

For the cleanest result, have your flooring installer handle the transitions as part of the overall kitchen flooring project. Professional installation of transitions typically runs $50 to $150 per doorway including materials, and ensures the expansion gaps, adhesion, and height matching are done correctly. If you are installing kitchen flooring as part of a larger renovation, get matched with a kitchen renovator through New Brunswick Kitchens for free.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The New Brunswick Construction Network connects homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Gionetterenovations
• Thirty Four Renovations