Slate to laminate transition?

[funmom]

Hoping to find a few reno/building tips from people who've done this before.
We have a suite downstairs in our home that we've essentially gutted.
The floor is concrete. I've bought underlayment and laminate to put down in the living area & kitchen. For the entrance way I've finally picked out some gorgeous dark California Gold slate.
My question is, how do we transition from the slate to the laminate, since the slate is all different thicknesses and is very uneven? I've bought some adjustable wooden strips from Home Depot and am hoping they will work, but don't want to open them all up (about 150$ worth) to find out they're not going to work.
Would it be possible to just transition straight from the slate slabs to the laminate with just grout....same as it will be inbetween all the slate pieces? Or do we really need a transition strip?

Other important question, is what should we use to seal it up with? Slate chips and breaks away so easily. I bought some sealer at HD but it was the 20$ stuff instead of the 50$ stuff....I'm thinking I should go back and buy the more expensive stuff if it will protect it better?
I'll have to take pictures once it's all finished, it's going to look really nice!!!

Thanks for any tips, I'm new at this!

[shandi983]

DH (works in flooring-not at HD) says you need to use the transition. If you put grout straight down between the two there will not be the needed expansion gap for the laminate and you will end up with your laminate floors buckling.

He also says you are right about the sealer, go back and buy the other one as it will protect better.

[1234mommy]

Hi
I just came across your add and I work in a tile store so maybe I could help you a little bit.
Regarding the transition from the Slate to the Laminate could be tricky as you have said already the slate is very uneven to certain points. There is transitions strips that are metal (eg: Chrome, Brushed Chrome etc...) which will finish the slate off really nice. There is a transition that I carry that is a brushed stainless or it comes in Brass (shiny) and it will transition down to your laminate.

Please do not grout in between the slate and the laminate. This needs to be kept as an expansion joint because your laminate will move where your slate will not. If you put grout in there it will crack and cause you headaches in the end.
There is also the option of color matched caulking to match the grout color you have selected for your Slate. As far as I know its only in the Mapei & FlexTile Grout and some Polyblend Colors.

Sealer:
Tip: Preferably you want to seal the slate before you grout (after you have set it) and seal it after you have grouted. The sealer will act like a grout release for you and it will be a lifesaver if you seal it before. The grout will get in all the nooks and crannies of the slate.

What sealer did you get? I am assuming its Tile Lab of some sort?
You want to use a Penetrating sealer, Enhancer or High Gloss Sealer.
It all comes down to what kind of look you want with the Slate.

Penetrating Sealer will basically take the dustiness away of the Slate and bring out color a bit better.

Enhancer will enhance the color(s) of the Slate. Its a really nice sealer, but it is the more expensive one out there.

High Gloss says it all. The more coats you put on the wetter it will look. It will also enhance the color(s) but not as much as the Enhancer Sealer.

I hope I am helping you.........if you have any other questions let me know

[funmom]

You're both VERY helpful, thank you for all the tips!
Ok, so we will not just do a grout transition, I will put that out of my mind.
As far as the metal transitions go, they are cheaper than the adjustable wooden ones by a bit, but....because the slate is so uneven, how will that work?
Of course all the slate tiles will be higher than the laminate, but within each tile, there are different height variances as well. So what do you do about the gaps that would be underneath the metal transision strip where the slate is thinner?
Hubby prefers the dull natural look of the slate, whereas I think I might prefer a glossier finish. BUt since I don't know what this slate would look like glossy, I may google it and see. It's really pretty stuff...grey mostly with some brownish tinges, and terra-cotta-ish too..

[1234mommy]

The metal transition comes in 1/2 inch think and that is the one you would need. if its not a huge area you are doing with the transiton I would pick up the slate that is the thinnest or around 1/2". Otherwise see below about building up mortar


Yes most likely the slate will be higher then the laminate. Where the slate is thinner underneath etc...you want to build up with the "mortar" you are using to set the slate. You have to be very patient with setting slate. The uneveness would drive me crazy and you will find you will use more mortar then regular tile. When you build up the mortar underneath just make sure that the one you built up you are not pushing it in as much as the regular ones into the mortar. Try to get them as level as you can.