A Guide To Luxury Vinyl Plank Transition Strips

Ideally, all rooms in your home would have the same flooring, creating a seamless look without transition pieces. However, in reality, this isn't practical. Aesthetic preferences vary—who wants identical flooring everywhere? Additionally, different rooms serve different purposes. While luxury vinyl plank flooring is suitable for many areas, it will eventually meet other flooring types. At these junctions, the correct transition pieces are essential for a smooth, cohesive transition between surfaces.

 
Kitchens and bathrooms require water-resistant flooring. Many prefer carpet in bedrooms for added comfort and warmth. Regardless of the flooring transition, MSI offers a range of transition pieces designed to seamlessly match MSI flooring products. 

Keep reading to find out which transition pieces seamlessly complement your luxury vinyl plank and other types of flooring.

Ashton Maracay Brown Luxury Vinyl Planks

WHY TRANSITION STRIPS? 

After investing your time, money, and effort into selecting and installing your ideal flooring, ensuring smooth and safe transitions is essential. This can be achieved by adding MSI transition pieces as the finishing touch.

Many of us have experienced tripping where different floorings meet. When two flooring types with a height difference join, it creates a hazardous tripping risk. Using the appropriate transition strip fills the gap and helps prevent accidents.

Additionally, when two flooring styles converge, their contrast might not always look appealing. Transition pieces not only cover the unsafe gap but also, with the right design and color, can create a seamless and attractive transition between different styles.

A transition piece is essential where different flooring options meet in high-traffic areas, as it safeguards the exposed edges from wear and tear. This protection also benefits areas with lower foot traffic.

TRANSITIONING TO CARPET

You researched the benefits of luxury vinyl flooring and the simplicity of its care and maintenance. You selected a stylish and functional floor tile from the Everlife® luxury vinyl plank collection, which is ideal for your home. The installation was straightforward, and the flooring looks fantastic. Now, what’s the best transition piece to create a seamless transition from the tile in your hallway to the carpet in your bedroom? Due to the height difference often present between these surfaces, consider using a surface reducer or end cap from MSI’s luxury vinyl flooring accessories. 

The surface reducer bridges the gap between floors of different heights. It creates a safer transition with a clean look. An end cap works well if the edges of luxury vinyl planks are level with a doorway.

For floors of the same height, use MSI’s T-molding. Although a T-molding doesn’t adjust height differences, it offers a stylish transition between different floorings.  

Photo Credit: @shopstylesquared on Instagram

TRANSITIONING TO STAIRS

Use either MSI’s stair nose (flush) or stair nose (overlapping) for an uninterrupted transition from luxury vinyl planks to a set of stairs. Both options share the same purpose and performance, but each delivers a different look. A flush stair nose is best to provide a tidy, modern look. For a more classic look, the overlapping stair nose is the right choice with its visible protrusion. 
 
Take a look at this informative video for info on a third option, stair treads, which fully cover each stair’s top layer. Additionally, this video covers a number of Everlife® luxury vinyl tile and plank accessories.

TRANSITIONING OUTDOORS

Similar to indoor spaces, outdoor patio tile like porcelain pavers often come in various styles and need transition pieces for a seamless appearance. If you have an indoor-outdoor room, consider using an indoor MSI porcelain tile paired with matching Arterra Porcelain Pavers that feature ZeroSlip™ technology. This combination offers a seamless appearance, improves safety, simplifies installation, and delivers moisture resistance.

ADDITIONAL VINYL ACCESSORIES

In addition to MSI Everlife® transitional pieces and trim, there are other products designed mainly to enhance the appearance of your MSI Everlife® Luxury Vinyl Tile and Plank flooring. Your home is a sanctuary where you and your loved ones rest and recover from the daily stresses of modern life. Comfort is a key element of an effective sanctuary. Using underlayments like MSI’s Abatec for MSI Rigid Core luxury vinyl flooring helps prevent your LVP flooring from sliding and reduces the noise of walking and running. Even more impressive, these underlayments are shock-absorbent, providing a softer feel and more comfortable walk, while also evening out minor imperfections in the subfloor. The underlayment additionally offers moisture protection beneath your luxury vinyl flooring.

Another essential vinyl flooring accessory is our MSI vinyl flooring adhesives. This collection includes adhesive, vinyl flooring primer, and sealer products specially designed for MSI’s Everlife® Luxury Vinyl Flooring. These products are extremely low odor, high strength, and contain zero VOCs, offering everything needed for a professional installation—whether DIY or by hiring a pro. 
 
From luxury vinyl plank transition strips to vinyl flooring adhesives, numerous brands are available to support your Everlife® luxury vinyl plank flooring. Wouldn’t you feel more confident knowing the same trusted brand that made your flooring also produced the accessories for an even better result? You wouldn’t use engine parts from another car brand in a Mercedes-Benz. The same logic applies to luxury vinyl plank flooring. These accessories are specifically designed to work seamlessly with MSI’s Everlife® luxury vinyl plank flooring, and the outstanding results are clear.

FINAL TRANSITION

Creating a smooth transition from one type of flooring to another is essential for achieving the best look, but the right transition piece offers even more benefits. Besides enhancing appearance, these transition pieces help prevent trip hazards that can cause serious injuries if left unaddressed. They also help reduce wear and tear in high-traffic areas such as busy doorways inside your home and entryways. 
 
If you’re still deciding if luxury vinyl tile or planks are right for your home, check out this detailed guide to luxury vinyl tile to learn more about its wide array of benefits. And to explore the full range of MSI's flooring or to learn where to buy luxury vinyl flooring, chat with us online, visit one of our showrooms, or find an MSI authorized dealer near you.

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