An office floor is not finished until its edges are.
Trim for every edge
Trim makes smooth transitions between floors and protects floor edges from wear. It also hides the expansion gap at the walls. Our buying-mistakes guide lists forgotten trim as a common error. Plan one trim piece for each edge type in the space.
Trims come in rubber, vinyl, MDF, and other materials, so you can match most floor types. Start with the location of each edge, then pick the floor type, the size, and the style. Get trim samples to see the look in the space.
| Trim | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Baseboard | The floor-to-wall edge; it covers the expansion gap |
| Quarter round | The expansion gap at the wall, alone or with a taller baseboard |
| T-molding | Two hard floors at the same height |
| Reducer | A higher floor that meets a lower floor |
| Threshold or end cap | Floors of different heights, such as hard surface to carpet |
| Stair nose | The edge of each stair step |
Pick the adhesive
Our adhesives page lists two main types of flooring glue: pressure-sensitive and polyurethane. Pressure-sensitive adhesive is releasable, so you can lift a carpet tile later and put in a new one. Polyurethane adhesive cures with moisture and bonds tightly, so removal destroys the floor. Seam sealer is a polyurethane glue for the joints between tiles and rolls.
Send the flooring, the room list, and the edge types. We will add the trim and the adhesive.
Add underlayment where needed
Underlayment reduces impact noise like footsteps between floors, and it helps the floor last longer. Do not buy it when the flooring has an attached underlayment. Attached underlayment is common on luxury vinyl and engineered wood, and sometimes on laminate. Many buyers add rubber roll underlayment under commercial carpet for comfort and sound absorption.
Have the tools on site
- Commercial carpet: a T-square, a utility knife, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
- Floor tile: mortar, grout, and tile saws, plus a level, prepared subfloor.
- Laminate: no glue, tape, or adhesive for a click-lock floating install.
Find out which accessories each product needs before the order ships. Have them ready when the flooring arrives. Then the crew can start the install without a trip for parts.