It's all about the details...

Came across something worth mentioning this week. Different materials aren't typically the same thickness, and the seams between the two are not pretty. Obvious, right? Well in theory, but in practice it's sometimes a detail overlooked. Imagine my horror when I saw this:



OK, loose the drama - I know. But it's like highwater pants, or underwear lines to my sensitive design eyes! It's not that big of a deal, I know - but it just screams lack of detail and oversight. When transitioning between two types of flooring, the seam should occur directly underneath where the door sits when closed. That way you can not see this "carpet-underwear line" from either room.

If that doesn't do it for ya - how about this?



Just imagine the stubbed toe in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom - yowza! For a prettier, easier transition - the floor underneath the least thick material needs to be built up to allow the two to meet properly. In this case, we had the contractor come back in and add an additional layer of subfloor under the entry vestibule, then very gradually over a large area of about 8' apply a layer of concrete or thinset as a sort of makeshift ramp down to the lower floor in the bedroom.

Now this one is an easy fix, but still needs to be addressed:



Transition strip. This is a piece of wood that you can buy as an accessory to your wood floor. It's basically a teeny tiny ramp that covers about a 1/2" in each direction of each flooring, with a small vertical piece that goes between and holds it in place.

Now the first picture - that's not so easy. We had the contractor come back out, pull back the carpet and add just enough of a tile sliver to reach below the door when it's closed - no more "highwater-pant-carpet detail!"

Pictures of the finished, stunning bathroom to follow soon!