Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - To transition or not transition.

New to the forums on DIY. I am trying to figure out if I should transition from the living room to the kitchen or one straight shot. First off I I would like to make it one straight shot because I think it would make it look a lot cleaner. The floor calls for anything narrower than 4 feet should have a transition strip but I think it might look a little silly. The distance is 37 inches. I think it would be a lot eaiser to transition since I am a rookie but again I think it would look silly. I have attached the pictures of the house. Sorry for the mess. What do you think?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ski_fast/PA220898.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ski_fast/PA220899.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ski_fast/PA220901.jpg

That there is trickyand the way it all comes together it really is one big room with an island in the middle.

It is required at doorways but you have a wrap around which is 100 times more stable then a single doorway, like that hallway to the left in your first picture(or what I think is a hall)


If it were my home, I'd skip the T moldings there as it wraps around.

First off, I am not an expert nor claim to be. Listen to carpets done right, he knows what he talking about and he gave me some advice on another topic. However I just wanted to point out that it appears you have particleboard as the surface you are about to install on top of. I would highly reccommend against this if you plan to nail or glue your floor, but if the floor is floating, I thing it would be okay.

EDIT: With all that being said, I just re-examined the pics and it appears you have OSB, which is suitable as far as I know. When I mentioned particleboard, I am referring to the "glue and sawdust type".

I am in a similar situation, pulled the carpets, and had particleboard underneath, now I have to replace before installing the nail-down hardwoods.

kevin