jgirl, I was referring to Bill's beautiful pic of the finishing piece that runs perpendicular to the other planks, which if it weren't there, would butt up against the tile. I'm sure your finished product looks fine, though. and donna, maybe you could sand down the bottom of the transition strip piece to be flush with the floor? A few passes with a belt sander should bring it down -- do it from underneath and you won't have ruined the finish.

I live and build homes in Canada, Toronto to be exact so I understand the cold. But tile is colder than hardwood so the argument doesn't really hold up plus you can do radiant heating under hardwood if you really need too. You will not regret running the hardwood throughout, but IMO you will regret not replacing that old tile while you have the chance.

As above...the way this will be done is: 1. Remove one FULL PLANK MORE than what is planned (assume the wood is not salvagable) 2. Source both hardwood and tile 3. Lay tile and hardwood at the same time (you need to glue the wood) 4. Sand/refinish the ENTIRE wood floor for the perfect look 5. It is possible to get a colour patch/finish patch done on the new wood planks Of course this whole thing could go to heck in a hand basket should the existing wood floor be nail-in-place or a floating hardwood. It could go wonky if the tile does not sit flush with the wood (ie. the wood is thin or old or the tile subfloor needs reinforcing = sits higher) or a myriad of other issues. And just to be clear, tile needs a stiffer subfloor (assuming wood joists are involved) than wood which means a full assessment needs to be done to see if your existing subfloor can handle the tile...or if it needs to be beefed up. BTW: the first photo is a poor example of this type of install. The second and third photos are very nice jobs. An inexperienced installer will have a hard time recreating the 1st photo (poor workmanship) let alone achieve the 2nd or 3rd photos.

You just to add one wide plank of wood between the tile and wood running along it like a border...keep it simple no need to draw more attention with a complicated design.