The threshold is a constructive element of the floor that serves to finish when there is a notable change in material or level. Much more prominent in the past, the piece today has a more discreet presence in architecture.
The thresholds and transition strips are applied directly to the floor and are responsible for making the transition when there is any change in the built space, whether it is in level, in the type of floor, or even when there is a door or passage.
Technically, the threshold completes this transition, equaling the unevenness between two environments. Usually, the threshold marks the transition between a wet area, be it the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room, and a dry area, and creates a small step between one space and another.
Floor Type Change
Door
Level Change
In the past, thresholds were mostly made of wood or polished stone, such as marble and granite. Nowadays, in addition to traditional materials, the flooring itself is often used to make the threshold. When the idea is to create a prominent element, you can use less usual materials to demarcate this transition, such as hydraulic tiles, burnt cement, or natural stone, for example.
Nowadays, many projects value spatial continuity, in contrast to their compartmentalization, avoiding large visual divisions and betting on continuous plans. With trends also based on resource savings and construction facilities and optimization, it is common to avoid the use of sills, replacing them with fillets, smaller elements of stone, metal or wood that make the floor transition almost inconspicuous.
