How to fix a poorly installed floor transition strip
Badly installed transition strips leave uneven lips that catch your shoes and create a brand-new tripping hazard. The resulting gaps also trap dirt, cat litter, and excess moisture when you mop the floors.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Replace the transition piece entirely
- 2Rip a sliver of flooring down and pressure fit it in the gap
- 3Cut the small piece of underlayment out
- 4Paint the gap the color of the walls
- 5Accepting the uneven transition
- 6Complaining to the installer
- 7Using a ramp
- 8Cleaning up the sill to be flush and flat and adding a doorstep
- 9Using a ripped down piece of ranch casing
- 10Chiseling down uneven material
- 11Filing a claim with the manufacturer for an inspection
- 12Cutting losses by returning unopened boxes, buying a different product, and using opened boxes in a garage or studio
- 13using metal strips to cover
- 14using a Z-bar
- 15Gluing the transition piece back down
- 16Installing a proper transition strip designed to handle height differences
- 17Painting the scotia wood the same white as the trim
- 18Wait for the contractor to return and correct the problem
- 19Use a nail set to drive the protruding nails down and apply putty to the holes
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“How do I fix this? LVP floor transition that’s lifting.”source ↗
“One side of the flooring is a good 2-3cm higher than the other.”source ↗
“is there a way to make it better without ripping everything up and starting over.”source ↗
“I asked for a transition that wasn't a trip hazard, but I don't think it looks like a professional job. Am I being too critical?”source ↗
“I'm only just realizing that there's a gap.”source ↗
“It's not super visible but I just see a) collecting spot for alot of dirt and cat litter and b) an entry point for moisture when I mop.”source ↗
“Looks like 2-3 inches high and maybe not perfectly parallel.”source ↗
“Website version vs. in-store sample vs. boxes that have been installed so far today.”source ↗
“they said I can file a claim with the manufacturer (NuCore) but that they won’t be able to do anything until they send someone out to inspect, which can take anywhere from a few days to two months.”source ↗
“they’ll only inspect installed pieces and they’ll do so individually, pulling and replacing only the ones that fall out of whatever the criteria is.”source ↗
“I caught it bc I tripped on the threshold which I have never done there before when it was a flush piece. But its big enough that the tip of my shoe caught it.”source ↗
“Almost looks like you need a ramp for such an uneven transition...”source ↗
“This looks like something I’d do, as an occasional DIYer. I’d be pissed if I paid someone to do this”source ↗
“Just feel like it looks kinda strange with height difference but not enough room for a step.”source ↗
“Is there some sort of plyable material that can be used between the existing surface and whatever I affix there, so I don’t need to chisel/plane/sand that down to flat?”source ↗
“Transition of our bedroom to bath had what appears to be a block under the carpet to raise for transition. Before I fix I wanted to get some opinion on best way to handle the fix and what a good transition option is.”source ↗
“Paying an absolute fortune for this flooring and knew that I was getting scotia/beading but is this how it’s supposed to be finished?”source ↗
“After the contractors left, I noticed tiny, sharp metal points sticking out of every piece of transition molding.”source ↗
“There's no consistent pattern to these points. They are very small, but big enough to snag on socks.”source ↗
“Some of them look like staples, some are just single points.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to transition LVP flooring to a raised fireplace hearth
- 2How to fix an H-pattern in installed flooring without tearing it all up
- 5How to fix squeaky flooring joints along the wall
- 21How to tile over an uneven subfloor without tearing it up
- 2How to fix a 3/8 inch gap in tongue and groove flooring
- 3Why is my apartment flooring bubbling and getting gaps after cleaning?