Use Wood Molding as Carpet Transitions
$15
1 Day
Easy
Just because an item is named what you want doesn’t mean you have to use it! Get creative with your materials. Unite unexpected ‘pairs’ for your custom designs.
How about using wood molding as carpet transitions? Reuse, recycle, repurpose… let’s do it!
Wood molding as carpet transitions… interesting!
To get over the finish line and put those ‘finishing touches’ on your project, you sometimes need to think outside the ‘traditional-supplies’ box and put unexpected materials into the mix. Last week we talked about utilizing wood molding to repair and accentuate the design of a couch… ravaged by the adorable claws of our furry friends. http://www.nluvstudio.com/2017/08/09/creative-couch-repair/
While staining the wood for that project, we reminded ourselves that we have one last nagging piece of our nluv Studio carpet tile project to finish in the master bedroom. Isn’t there always that one little thing that needs to be done but you just don’t want to do it? Of course there is!
Looking through our pile of various wood molding, we got to thinking that perhaps we could use molding instead of the more expensive carpet transitions to finish the last corner of the master bedroom. You bet ‘cha we can and it’s actually a better design idea than the obvious carpet transition choice! For about $15, we will custom fit wood molding to serve as a carpet and seamless wall transition. Two purposes in one for a fraction of the price AND using existing materials already on hand. Now that’s a nluv Studio project!
The Versatility of Wood Molding
Carpet transitions are an important finishing touch, but that statement doesn’t mean you must buy actual carpet transitions to complete your project. Molding and trim comes in a wide array of styles and sizes making it quite versatile. Break free from the traditional thinking of only door casings and baseboards. Look at your projects with an open mind and choose a material that best fits your needs… which may not always be the obvious choice.
The Transition Dilemma
At the far corner of the master bedroom is a hard line end of the carpet tiles with a significant 1/2″ drop to tongue & groove flooring. It is a tough transition to design for and traditional carpet transitions aren’t the solution. Not just because of shape but also due to the ultimate length and cost to finishing this piece of the project. When we finished the office loft with baseboards and corner joints, we had some left over materials. When faced with any project design dilemma, I always head to the scrap pile first to see what I can find!
I gathered up all remnant pieces of molding and tried them out to see what they would look like at the master bedroom carpet edge. I couldn’t believe it! The inside-corner molding was the exact shape, width and height I needed for the carpet transition. I mean perfect! After my discovery, the only thing left to do was stain the molding and get it installed!
Tools & Supplies
- Molding
- Paint or stain
- Application brush
- Miter box
- Saw
- Sandpaper
- Measuring tape
- Finish nails or nail gun
- Wood putty
- Nail set (to countersink nails)
- Hammer
Step-by-step Instructions
The required finishing for the master bedroom will need two types of molding – inside-corner molding and baseboards.
The first piece is the inside-corner molding, lining the carpet-to-wood transition as well as along the wall joining at the floor. Then as the second edge, the room baseboards will run along the top of the inside-corner molding to complete the baseboard line. No one will ever know that two sets of molding are present as the look will be a seamless addition to the room design.
- Measure the entire length of your project for a total required length of molding needed. Don’t forget to do this for all molding types you will be using.
- Stain or paint all molding (prior to cutting). Let fully dry.
- Starting with the inside-corner molding: To reduce cuts, install the longest edge first before you start cutting and fitting remnants. After installing the full molding strips, carefully measure and cut remaining pieces.
- On any cut molding piece, sand the edges and touch-up paint or stain. Let dry before installing.
- Due to the angle of the molding, I chose a hand nail gun, placing nails about 12″ apart. Install all pieces of molding.
- Move onto the second set of molding – the baseboards. Measure, cut, sand, touch-up and install all baseboards. Repeat the install steps until all molding is installed.
- Counter sink all the nail heads and fill with wood putty. Let dry.
- Touch up stain or paint where wood putty has dried.
Wrap it up!
Finishing the master bedroom floor transitions has sat on the project list for months. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. When you get stumped on how to complete a design, sit back and let it wait. Another project may be exactly what you need to spark the idea for the perfect solution. Repairing the couch last week combined with the left over pile of molding came together for the perfect finish to the master bedroom dilemma.
Never feel locked in on materials to use for a project. Think first about your need and then hunt for the best materials & process to fulfill it. Wood molding isn’t my first thought when thinking about carpet transitions. But, for my specific need at the far corner of the master bedroom, it ended up being the perfect ‘unexpected pair’.
Looking for more inspiration and finish ideas? Check out our website Finish Gallery and sign up for The nluv Memos so you never miss a project! http://www.nluvstudio.com/nluv-memos-blog-jaime-pirozzi/
Unfinished edge w/ complex angles and heights
Various molding ready for any project
A simple miter box is perfect for small projects
First edge using inside-corner molding for a perfect, seamless fit
Base wall edge completed to match up to carpet transition section
Now for finishing the baseboards
Completed custom wood molding that's Gus approved
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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2 comments
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Looks good, but a few concerns. Inside corner molding is not a good choice for a transition piece. As you walk on the carpet it compresses and the molding edge can be a trip hazard. Transition molding overlaps both types of flooring for a smooth seamless connection and no trip hazard. The baseboard molding should have been on the wall before the flooring. Then the flooring and either the inside corner or quarter round molding for a finished look. The inside corner molding isn't even mitered where the two meet.
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All great points and considered for the project. The carpet tiles float on the subfloor with hard rubber backing so no carpet compression, which is great. The edge in the project is at the far end of the room and not accessible to walking as you're right... no one wants a trip hazard. The inside corner molding is nailed into the tongue and groove floor section, which is not the same flooring surface as the carpet so it just sits next to the carpet tile edge. It is purely for a finished edge look and not for walking or heavy use. I always try to reuse extra materials on projects where I can and for us, this was a great match. Our house never had any baseboards, so the new flooring went in first and the moldings went in after to finish it all! Sometimes you have to work in the order that your house dictates. These old Tahoe homes don't always let us take Steps 1-5, sometimes we go Step 2,4,5,3,1! Thanks for your comment!
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