Wall spacing and thresholds

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Skiz

New Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2020
Messages
3
Location
NC
I'm about to put down a thousand square feet of 4 in solid bamboo floor that's 9/16 thick. I know I'm supposed to leave anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 inch gap at the wall. What do I do when I have my flooring is running parallel to a marble threshold and I obviously don't want that gap were it butts to it?
 
They make moldings that can butt up against the marble, that allow the bamboo to expand and contract underneath it. These are an overlapping molding and a lot of times these are 1/4 inch or so thicker than the floor you are installing. The ones that I am talking about are generally called threshold moldings. The front edge is usually beveled at a 45 degree angle, but that can be trimmed back so that you come out to the same level as the tile. Grout caulk can be placed between the trim edge and the marble.
 
Thank you! Googled it and looks like transition strips we've used in laminate floors. Makes sense though. I've always seen the flooring butted to the marble thresholds. Maybe it's mostly been in a hallway where expansion would be at a minimum.
 
a lot of times you can but a floor up to marble or some other hard surface it depends on the size of the room but you also would like to leave a gap and fill that with a flexible grout caulk they make it in silicon also. this is silicone might run $20 per tube but it's absolutely worth it and they make it in matching grout colors. Now that said that bamboo may expand and contract more than you think it would. Depending on the size of the area it might be a good idea to use one of those transition moldings so the flooring can slip underneath that molding and expand and contract as it wants to.
It's a tough call without actually seeing the job in person.
 

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