Question:
We put in LVP flooring but it’s 1/4in thick and the railing sill is 3/4in thick so there is a lip between the two (it isn’t flush). We were told by the builder the fix is a transition strip of molding. Is that right? Does anyone have pictures of that to show what the transition looks like? I have checked online and there is not much. Thanks in advance.
Answer:
LVP flooring is a wonderful alternate to more expensive and thicker plank flooring, however any of the transitions to a thicker adjacent floor, or in your case a railing sill, results in the lip or reveal between the two. Your builder is correct, insofar as the installation of a vinyl transition strip which is manufactured specifically to address your issue, will fill the lip between the two materials. The result will be the same as any type of transition piece that is glued in place and will look like it. I would have preferred that the builder build up ( flash patch ) the subsurface of the LVP flooring as it meets the railing sill back far enough, so that the 1/2″ transition of flashing is not detectable. I don’t know the exact situation, so maybe there simply wasn’t enough room for this to occur. The other solution is to make the sill of the railing substantially thicker, by adding either a piece of PVC under the railing sill or another acceptable material. It is always better to make the difference in the thickness heavier and not smaller, to look like it was intended to simply be a heavier material.
Good luck, like all vinyl applications, the transitions are not always the cleanest and most aesthetically pleasing.