Where a new floor meets another floor, a doorway or a step, the profile is decided by the joint, not by the colour. The family of flooring transition strips splits four ways: a T-moulding bridges two floors that finish level, a reducer steps the new floor down to a lower one, an end cap closes the edge against carpet or something vertical, and a stair nosing caps each tread. Colour comes second, and the Riche pieces we stock carry the same colour names as the floors they match. Nearly all are in our flooring trims and transitions collection; the Charcoal Noir stair nosing is filed with the stair nosing pieces.
Which transition piece fits which joint
Find your joint in the first column; the piece and its installation rate sit on the same line.
| Joint | Profile | Piece price | Install, house | Install, condo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two floors finish level, at a doorway or cased opening | T-moulding | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $10.00 per linear ft | $15.00 per linear ft |
| New floor sits higher than the next room, such as tile | Reducer | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $10.00 per linear ft | $15.00 per linear ft |
| Floor meets existing tile | Tile reducer | Confirmed at quote | $10.00 per linear ft | $15.00 per linear ft |
| Floor meets carpet | Carpet reducer | Confirmed at quote | $10.00 per linear ft | $15.00 per linear ft |
| Floor stops at a slider, exterior door, hearth or tub | End cap | Confirmed at quote | $10.00 per linear ft | $15.00 per linear ft |
| Bathroom doorway onto tile | Bathroom doorway transition | Confirmed at quote | $30.00 per door | $40.00 per door |
| Stair treads and risers | Stair nosing | $35.00 per piece | Priced after viewing | Priced after viewing |
Prices checked October 23, 2026. Piece prices and floor prices come from our current catalogue.
Trim work is charged per linear foot of installed profile. A 2400 mm length is 7.9 ft, so one piece covers a standard doorway with length to spare.
T-moulding: two floors that finish level
A T-moulding is the piece for a level joint. Shaw Floors describes it as the moulding used when two level flooring surfaces meet, like in a doorway or a narrow archway.
Johnson Hardwood makes the piece compulsory in two cases: its SPC moulding instructions require T-mouldings at every doorway transition measuring 6 ft or less, and on any run of flooring longer than 35 lineal feet.
Each 2400 mm T-moulding is $24.99, or $3.17 per linear ft of material. Installation adds $10.00 per linear ft for a house or basement and $15.00 for a condo, so a 3 ft doorway is $54.99 in material and labour before HST.
Reducer: where the new floor steps down
A reducer handles a height change. Johnson Hardwood defines an over-lap reducer as the profile used to transition from a higher flooring surface to a lower one, such as tile or stone, which covers the common Toronto case: a new plank floor meeting a tiled kitchen or hallway that sits lower.
The gap at the joint matters as much as the slope. Shaw Floors asks for 1/2 inch of space between the finished floor and the front edge of the reducer, so the floor keeps room to move while the sloped face covers the step.
Our reducers cost the same as the T-mouldings and install at the same rate. Both are cut to length on site, so the leftover 4.9 ft from a 3 ft opening stays with you.
End cap and carpet reducer: where the floor stops
Not every joint has floor on both sides. Shaw Floors lists its end molding as the piece for areas that meet vertical objects and between laminate and carpet, while Johnson Hardwood calls an end cap the transfer piece from where flooring ends to the edge of carpeting and/or tile.
That covers sliding doors, exterior sills, a hearth, a tub surround and any carpeted bedroom. The end cap finishes an edge that has nothing to join; where the drop to carpet is small, a carpet reducer does the same work with a slope, and we confirm that piece at the quote as well.
We do not list an end cap in that colour range. Give us the colour at the quote and we will match it; installation runs at the same trim rates.
Stair nosing: one profile per tread
Stairs need their own profile because the edge is different in kind. Shaw Floors states that the stair nosing is used to finish stair treads and risers, so it is the piece that caps the tread edge where the plank ends and the riser drops away.
Our PVC stair nosing is $35.00 per piece, stocked in all five colours below. Stair work is priced after viewing the staircase, since the step count, the overhang and the existing treads all change the job.
Which colours we stock, and the floors they match
The pieces follow the floor colours. All five floors have a matching T-moulding, reducer and stair nosing; end caps are matched at the quote. Where a trim title omits the length, we confirm it when you order.
| Colour | T-moulding | Reducer | Stair nosing | Floor it matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charcoal Noir | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $35.00 per piece | Riche Charcoal Noir, 8mm, $2.15 per sq ft |
| Anthracite Oak | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $24.99 per 2400 mm | $35.00 per piece | Riche Anthracite Oak, 10mm, $3.29 per sq ft |
| Dark Espresso Oak | $24.99 per piece | $24.99 per piece | $35.00 per piece | Riche Dark Espresso Oak, $1.99 per sq ft |
| Driftwood Grey Oak | $24.99 per piece | $24.99 per piece | $35.00 per piece | Riche Driftwood Grey Oak, $1.99 per sq ft |
| Pale Parchment Oak | $24.99 per piece | $24.99 per piece | $35.00 per piece | Riche Pale Parchment Oak, $1.99 per sq ft |
For scale, a box of Charcoal Noir is $33.91 for 15.77 sq ft, Anthracite Oak is $38.89 for 11.82 sq ft, and the other three colours are $42.33 for 21.27 sq ft. Treat a matching colour name as the closest the range offers, not a promise of an identical shade. If the doorway is one you look at every day, compare the piece against the floor rather than a screen. Our Driftwood Grey Oak T-Moulding is one of the colours where the trim and floor names line up.
Floor thickness is what decides between a T-moulding and a reducer
Two floors that finish level take a T-moulding; the moment one sits lower, the joint needs a slope. The real input is the assembled thickness of each side. Our Charcoal Noir plank is 8mm thick and the Anthracite Oak plank is 10mm thick, and each figure appears in the product name and on the product page.
Charcoal Noir carries a 12mil wear level and Anthracite Oak carries 20mil with a commercial rating, and both are listed as click-lock. The pad is part of the height too: these SPC floors have it built into the plank, EVA on the 8mm and 10mm boards and IXPE on the others, so the finished height comes from the plank and its pad.
Put a straight edge across the joint and measure both finished surfaces once the old floor is out. A small difference is a reducer; level sides go back to the T-moulding. Do not assume which side is higher until you have both numbers.
What has to happen under the strip
Every one of these profiles covers an expansion gap, and the gap has to survive the fitting. Quick-Step states that the floor must be able to expand and contract on all sides, which is why an expansion gap is provided around pipes, thresholds and under door frames.
The fixings follow the same logic. Quick-Step requires a sufficient expansion gap between the floor and the raised legs of the rail, with the profile clamped into that gap, so the strip is held by the rail rather than by the planks.
Widths vary by system. Johnson Hardwood sets the expansion joint under a T-moulding at a minimum of 5/8 inch and a maximum of 3/4 inch, and Shaw Floors leaves 1/2 inch at the front edge of a reducer. Read the instructions for your floor before cutting.
What a doorway set costs: the arithmetic
Take a typical job: two doorways of 3 ft each with T-mouldings and one opening of 3 ft to tile with a reducer, giving 9 linear ft of profile. Both T-moulding cuts come out of a single 2400 mm piece, so the job buys one T-moulding length and one length of the matching reducer.
| Line | Basis | House | Condo |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-moulding piece | 1 piece at $24.99 | $24.99 | $24.99 |
| Reducer piece | 1 piece at $24.99 | $24.99 | $24.99 |
| Installation | 9 linear ft at $10.00 or $15.00 | $90.00 | $135.00 |
| Subtotal | Both pieces plus labour | $139.98 | $184.98 |
| HST 13% | On the subtotal | $18.20 | $24.05 |
| Total | Subtotal plus HST | $158.18 | $209.03 |
A single 3 ft carpet doorway works the same way on the labour side: installation is $30.00 in a house at $10.00 per linear ft, or $45.00 in a condo at $15.00, before HST, and the carpet reducer piece is confirmed at the quote. A bathroom doorway onto tile is charged per door instead: $30.00 per door in a house, $40.00 per door in a condo, with the piece on top.
Whether two rooms should share one floor or split at the doorway is a design question, covered in our post on continuous flooring versus transition design. On sourcing, see our comparison of matching stairs and trims from a local dealer; for the rest of the budget, the flooring installation cost guide covers material, labour and delivery.
Flooring transition questions
What does a carpet to hardwood transition cost?
Installation is the part we can price before the joint is opened up: a 3 ft carpet opening is $30.00 in a house or basement, or $45.00 in a condo, before HST. The carpet reducer or end cap itself is confirmed at the quote once we know which floor colour you are matching.
Do I need a reducer or a T-moulding at a doorway?
Measure both finished surfaces. Level sides take the T-moulding, which covers a flat joint; a lower floor needs the reducer's slope. A new plank floor meeting existing tile is the usual reducer case.
What is a floor end cap used for?
It finishes the floor where there is nothing to butt against: a sliding door track, an exterior sill, a hearth, a tub, or a carpet edge. Installation is $10.00 per linear ft in a house or basement, and $15.00 in a condo, with the matching piece confirmed at the quote.
Can one 2400 mm strip cover two doorways?
Yes, when the openings are 3 ft. A 2400 mm length is 7.9 ft, so two 3 ft cuts leave 1.87 ft over. A third opening of the same width needs a second piece, which is why you count total linear feet rather than one piece per room.
Is a carpet reducer the same as a carpet to hardwood transition strip?
It is the same job under a different label. A carpet reducer slopes from the hard floor down to the carpet edge, while an end cap uses a square profile where the carpet sits close to plank height. Labour for either is $10.00 per linear ft in a house or basement, rising to $15.00 in a condo.
Get your transitions matched and priced in Toronto
Send us your floor colour, the number of doorways and the material on the other side of each one, and we will match the profiles and price the linear feet. Request a quote online or reach us through the contact page.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819