Transitiong from Hardwood to Tile

Q: I am installing a tile floor directly onto slab that is going to but up against a 3/4″ hardwood floor. I don’t want to incur the costs of adding a 1/4″ backerboard just to build up the tile floor when it isn’t necessary for the install. Without putting in an ugly reducer how can I make the transition level?
Thank you
A: The task you have here is somewhat difficult. Typically for such a large difference in height you should be using a reducer, coordinating to the previous wood floor, as this gives the cleanest look. With your dislike of the look of reducers and not wanting to add additional cost to your project with backer boards, you limit your options some.
My best suggestion would be to either custom make a transition from an unfinished product or to use a threshold. The threshold may be your best bet for simplicity as this will account for a difference in height and with some careful color coordination work it can look as if it were originally apart of the existing floor.