CFI Transition & Trim Installation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct sequence of steps when installing a glue-down transition strip on a wood subfloor?
- Apply adhesive → press track down → allow cure → snap in cap (Correct answer)
- Snap in cap → apply adhesive → press track → allow cure
- Press track down → apply adhesive under it → allow cure → snap in cap
- Allow adhesive to fully cure before positioning track
Correct answer: Apply adhesive → press track down → allow cure → snap in cap
Adhesive is applied first, the track is pressed into position with the correct gap spacing, allowed to cure, and then the decorative cap is snapped in last.
Question 2: When a transition reducer is used on a floating LVP floor, the installer should NOT:
- Allow the flooring to float freely under the reducer
- Glue or nail the flooring planks to the subfloor beneath the reducer (Correct answer)
- Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the planks and the reducer track
- Use a snap-in track system
Correct answer: Glue or nail the flooring planks to the subfloor beneath the reducer
Gluing or nailing floating LVP planks near or under a transition restricts the floor's ability to expand and contract, which can cause buckling or gapping.
Question 3: A customer reports that their newly installed stair nosings squeak underfoot. What is the most probable installation error?
- The wrong adhesive color was used
- The nosings were not face-nailed and/or glued adequately to the stair tread (Correct answer)
- The nosings are too wide for the tread depth
- The subfloor has too much flex at mid-span
Correct answer: The nosings were not face-nailed and/or glued adequately to the stair tread
Stair nosings must be both glued and face-nailed to fully bond to the tread; inadequate fastening allows movement that causes squeaking.
Question 4: When trimming a length of T-molding cap to fit a doorway, the installer should cut it using:
- A jigsaw with a wood blade
- A miter saw or fine-tooth hacksaw, depending on the cap material (Correct answer)
- A utility knife scored multiple times
- An oscillating multi-tool only
Correct answer: A miter saw or fine-tooth hacksaw, depending on the cap material
Wood or laminate caps are best cut on a miter saw, while aluminum or vinyl caps cut cleanly with a fine-tooth hacksaw or aviation snips.
Question 5: In a large open-plan installation where floating floor runs exceed the manufacturer's maximum continuous run length, transition strips are used to:
- Add visual interest to the floor pattern
- Create a control joint that allows each section to expand and contract independently (Correct answer)
- Raise the floor height incrementally across the room
- Hide the subfloor seams below
Correct answer: Create a control joint that allows each section to expand and contract independently
When floating floors exceed maximum run lengths (often 40 feet), a transition strip divides the floor into independent expansion zones, preventing buckling.
Question 6: Which type of transition strip is the correct choice when hardwood flooring terminates at the top of a single step down to a sunken living room?
- T-molding
- Flush reducer
- Square-nose stair nosing (Correct answer)
- Threshold
Correct answer: Square-nose stair nosing
A square-nose stair nosing caps the exposed edge of the hardwood at the top of a step, providing a finished edge and slip-resistant overhang at the step down.
Question 7: When installing carpet gripper (tack strip) adjacent to a hard-surface floor transition, the tack strip should be placed:
- Flush against the hard-floor edge with no gap
- Approximately 3/8 inch away from the hard-floor edge to allow the carpet to tuck into the gap (Correct answer)
- On top of the hard flooring edge to anchor the carpet
- At least 2 inches from the hard-floor edge
Correct answer: Approximately 3/8 inch away from the hard-floor edge to allow the carpet to tuck into the gap
Tack strip is set approximately 3/8 inch from the hard-floor edge so the carpet can be stretched over the tacks and its edge tucked cleanly into the gap.
CFI Transition & Trim Installation 5
What is the correct sequence of steps when installing a glue-down transition strip on a wood subfloor?