When deciding how to extend hardwood floors, it’s critical to create a seamless transition. With our help, you can easily lace in new flooring for a beautiful finish. We will guide you through every step of the process so that you can feel confident about you’re finished product.

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What Is A Lace-In (Continuous)?

A lace-in (continuous) is a method used to adjoin and match a new wood floor with an existing wood floor. A lace-in consists of matching the color and grain pattern and then jointing and joining the two boards to create one solid floor. For example, if there is an existing hardwood floor, then the new wood floors would be integrated and joined to create one solid surface. The main difference between a lace-in (continuous) and a header installation is that you must refinish the entire surface in order for it to work properly and look like one continuous surface.

What Is A Header (Defines Two Spaces)?

This piece of hardwood is the simpler and cheaper solution to extending your hardwood floor located at the junction of the old and new sections of floor. This “header” board will help hide where one surface ends and another begins. Since there’s no need to pull up boards, it’s less expensive than a lace-in. Plus, the seams are hidden so the board is easier to install. At Midwest Flooring Company, we will always lace-in new floors unless the customer requests a header.

What Are Transition Strips?

A transition strip prevents your new wood floors from coming in contact with other surfaces. This is particularly useful in high-traffic areas where abrasion can occur easily, such as on an outside porch or near the kitchen. Transition strips are not meant to be used as an installation method, but rather a transition point between two different surfaces.

Transition strips come in a variety of colors and widths to match your new hardwood floor. Examples are t-molds, reducers, and thresholds.

Should You Consider Lacing In Your Wood Floors?

There are a few different ways to match hardwood flooring with an existing wood floor. One of the most popular is a lace-in, which is typically used when you want to extend your current wood floor into another room. A header, on the other hand, is typically used when there’s no need to pull up boards and it’s less expensive than a lace-in.

It comes down to how you envision this transition and the spaces. In this particular photo, I wanted the transition to be continuous (lace-in) but if instead I wanted them to be separate spaces (header) I could have done that as well. It all comes down to preference and the look you want for your home!