Types of Moldings for Laminate Flooring Installation

Dear Al,

Your moldings are the last step in your flooring project. These are the finishing pieces that make your floors look complete. They’re also vital to the comfort and safety of your floors.

There are many types of moldings you can choose from. Each serves a distinct purpose.

• Base Shoe Molding. This molding covers the space between the wall and your floors. If you have mere millimeters left to cover your flooring, you don’t want to have to cut a normal sized plank down to a tiny sliver. With a base shoe molding, you don’t have to.

• End Molding. This is used in the doorways that lead to the exterior of the house.

• T Molding. This molding is used to join rooms where the flooring is at the same level.

• Reducer Molding. This type of molding makes it easy to join rooms where the floors are just slightly uneven. This is not the same type of molding as you’ll use on your stairways.

• Stair Nose Molding. Are you installing laminate on your stairs? You’ll want to use reducer molding to join the laminate across the varying heights.

As you can see there are a variety of types of moldings available. Before you begin your project, it’s a good idea to determine where you’ll need to “finish” your floors. Then, choose the right type of molding that will help you naturally and easily blend your laminate with the other rooms inside and outside of your house. These are the best way to give your flooring a more polished look.