How to Fix Gaps in Flooring!!! (Laminate, LVP, Engineered wood)

FAST and EASY FIX for GAPS in most plank flooring!!!!
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-Tools needed:
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[Chuck-U-Farlie]

Great trick!
If i could offer one suggestion it would be to put down a strip of blue painters tape on the flooring where the double stick tape is going to contact it. This will allow you to pull the 2x4 up afterwards without worrying about damaging the floorboard.

[ladams]

You saved us a ton of time and money! We cut the LVP too short thinking the baseboard would be thicker than it was. They put up the baseboard without telling us to fix it and we were about 1/8 short in several places. Double stick carpet tape for the win! My husband had happy tears 😂

[thepenultimateninja]

Instead of the carpet tape, we use a piece of that non-slip rubber matting that you line drawers with on the bottom of the wood, and a piece of foam on the top to protect your knees. You then kneel on the wood with both knees, and that's enough pressure to get it to grip without needing tape.
The tape occasionally causes problems especially on cheaper vinyl planks.
It can rip up some of the wear layer and ruin the plank, which is a nightmare if you don't have some attic stock on hand.

[billtheman]

I watched this video because I had some gaps in my wood flooring but after reading the comments I just kicked the board to achieve the same fix, thanks Vancouver Carpenter, I wouldn't have found the fix without you.

[therecruitingguy]

This is an awesome trick/hack! After installing 2, 000+ ft in one of my historic buildings as we could not save the hardwoods, the age and moisture and movement of that building has created a few gaps. *note, the addition of blue painters tape on the floor before the double stick tape is the trick as the flooring we have went obsolete as well! My tip...use a rubber mallet and the pads on the floor pry bar, AND don't hit too hard.

[billfischer]

I have used an auto body repair dent suction cup. Can pick them up at Harbor Freight or auto supply store. Flip a lever, it sticks and flip back to release.

[LVNITUPM]

Mate, I tell you what. You are a champion!!! I have had a board in the middle of the room start to come appart and all day after seeing it I was stressing that I will have to pull half the floor up to fix it. Thought man let me just google it and bam this video popped up. Did the exact same as you and fixed. Now I can sleep tonite not eating away at me how much work I have ahead of me to fix it

[stashagarcia]

Perfect timing. I just bought a house with the most beautiful floors but the installation was wrong on so many levels. I had no idea how i was going to close up so many large gaps. Thanks to you...now i do

The best way is to get the suction cups with handles used for moving windows and glass. I’ve closed up hundreds of gaps in vinyl and laminate floor with ease.

[kentuckybeardsman]

A large rubber mallet works really fast. Hit it in the direction of the crack and it will pop it back in space. I make a living laying flooring and it works very well with less effort

[pcm]

All kinds of ways to get the tape loose. Attach a larger board on top of a smaller board so that you have easy leverage access points. Use the 2x4 and tape, but extend the tape over the end of the board and attach it on top of the 2x4; easy peel off when done. The beauty of the video is that it gets the brain engaged for solutions some of which, as seen in the comments, are quite inventive and helpful.

[lgude]

Thanks, I put down really nice vinyl plank in my entire flat and even saved it when my whole flat got flooded by using an industrial wet and dry vac. There was some tendency to buckle and show gaps as the floor fully dried over a period of weeks. I just kept at it with a rubber mallet and never had to re lay it. The low humidity in Western Australia probably allowed to eventually dry. Great tip and helpful comments. Time to go gap hunting rather than just ignoring them!!

[TheFunnyCarpenter]

Solid tips Ben- I’ve always just done some sweet kicking dance moves with a rubber soled shoe, but this is also a great option:)

[VC-Toronto]

about 80% of the time, instead of using double sided tape, you can just "kick" the plank lengthwise to close up the gap. (rubber soled running shoes help)

[johnbrooks]

As a real estate agent, I can say that closing the gaps can close a deal! What a great way to make an otherwise decent floor look top dollar, move in ready! Thanks for sharing this.

[jemyers]

Thanks for the hint. We successfully closed the gap. However, we were hesitant to use carpet tape. Everything on the carpet tape said not to use it on vinyl floors because it might damage the floor. The labelling says the tape is designed to be permanent. We used double sided mounting tape and it worked great. Our floor is Luxury Vinyl. Thanks again!

[Chris-lzsx]

Use fishing line to cut the adhesive between the floor and tape. Works everytime

[feknix]

Incredible. Been trying to figure out how to fix a gap at my house for 8 years without having to take off baseboards and redo a row of planks!

[falconlawndart]

I put a screw in each and have a run of this flooring type. I haven’t had any problems cents but that’s not to say that I won’t. You’re a genius thank you very much for sharing I like this and it will come in handy when and if I start seeing a groove in the middle of the floor or a warp. Thank you very much and I’ll keep up the good work.

[Perception_]

I'm actually looking at a house with all new flooring, and there's a big gap right in the middle of the floor. It's an eyecatcher, and I'm glad I randomly came by this video. Most things in life do have easier solutions than we may think at first and this is a very good example of that.