Different height floors

[Anonymous]

Original floors are refinished hardwood and creaky with some small gaps.

Kitchen and baths were tiled, tiler added 3/4” subfloor and tile is atop it so those floors are higher than wooden floors. There are thresholds.

The difference in heights bugs me. Is there a way to fix this? What’s involved?

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Our contractor made a wood threshold and shaved it/planed it?? down to a very slight slope between the wood and the tile in the kitchen tile and sub flooring. Barely noticeable.

[Anonymous]

Depending on the type and condition of the flooring, some installers can take up the existing flooring, put in subfloor or raise the subfloor of the wooden floors to make the floors match and then reinstall the flooring. It usually only works with good quality old hardwood that is kept in good condition, but it is possible. Just expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our contractor made a wood threshold and shaved it/planed it?? down to a very slight slope between the wood and the tile in the kitchen tile and sub flooring. Barely noticeable.

Okay but I’m this case there is an inch difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the type and condition of the flooring, some installers can take up the existing flooring, put in subfloor or raise the subfloor of the wooden floors to make the floors match and then reinstall the flooring. It usually only works with good quality old hardwood that is kept in good condition, but it is possible. Just expensive.

So basically I’d have to redo the entire wood floor with new subflooring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the type and condition of the flooring, some installers can take up the existing flooring, put in subfloor or raise the subfloor of the wooden floors to make the floors match and then reinstall the flooring. It usually only works with good quality old hardwood that is kept in good condition, but it is possible. Just expensive.

So basically I’d have to redo the entire wood floor with new subflooring?

Yep. Which is why it's still that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our contractor made a wood threshold and shaved it/planed it?? down to a very slight slope between the wood and the tile in the kitchen tile and sub flooring. Barely noticeable.

Okay but I’m this case there is an inch difference

Same with ours. Hardwood floors meeting kitchen tile floors on sub flooring. You'd trip going in and out. So contractor came back and created a threshold that was carefully sloped. It helped that both the wood and the tiles were dark. But still, barely noticeable and no way to take up the wood floor to gradually raise it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our contractor made a wood threshold and shaved it/planed it?? down to a very slight slope between the wood and the tile in the kitchen tile and sub flooring. Barely noticeable.

Okay but I’m this case there is an inch difference

Same with ours. Hardwood floors meeting kitchen tile floors on sub flooring. You'd trip going in and out. So contractor came back and created a threshold that was carefully sloped. It helped that both the wood and the tiles were dark. But still, barely noticeable and no way to take up the wood floor to gradually raise it.

^^^
Threshold was about 6" as I recall. Maybe 5?? I don't remember. But it was the same as all the others in the house. It looked great and the contractor was very proud of what he had done.

[Anonymous]

5-6”? That’s practically a stair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5-6”? That’s practically a stair.

I think she meant "wide"

[Anonymous]

Oh I see. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP, what do you think might be done about this?

There's only three ways out: lower the new floor, raise the old floor, or smooth out the difference between them. There's no way to raise or lower a floor without tearing it out and redoing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you think might be done about this?

There's only three ways out: lower the new floor, raise the old floor, or smooth out the difference between them. There's no way to raise or lower a floor without tearing it out and redoing it.

Pretty good summary.

[Anonymous]

If the threshold is a bump-up beyond the differing heights, you could remove it and install a lower wedge shaped one that is not as high. Still a height difference between floors, but not having to step over a taller threshold, and you can feather it out over the 5-6" threshold area.