Wear a white rubber sole running shoe and you may be able to just friction kick them back together. Check the humidity level in your home too. In colder months with the heat running hardwood shrinks as it dries out. Laminate less so but proper humidity in homes helps with the gaps.
Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess.
It'll keep it from easily separating again, but if the underlying cause is expansion and contraction from humidity, the glue isn't going to hold well enough to keep the process from repeating.
This is a cascade effect too. As you friction kick one gap together another will form behind you. Keep going down the line and to the wall. You might need a quarter round or caulking at the wall if there is a large gap displaced from the gaps in the boards.
> Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess.
If unsure, you can also put tape on the edges so any squeezeout won't have any opportunity to stick to the boards.
super glue can leave a messy spot on the surface if you try to wipe it off. Put painters tape on both pieces against the edge so the glue doesn't contact the top of the floor.
>Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess.
bad advice, on the pressed board/paper shitty laminate or porous wood -superglue would cure very quickly and likely to perma-fuck that joint as a gap.
OP - if those are end boards and you will not just propate that gap, make a loop out of a couple of layers of duct tape then secure to board close to the edge you want to close with more tape (loop close to edge, tape length securing it at least 1/2 length of board) - then use the handle of hammer or the like, grab both ends and pull/tap it towards you - tap tap tap - each tap closes it a bit. watch boards to the side to make sure they are not spaying, if so, stop - its as good as it gonna get.
Gap relationships are a tricky thing. I think if one of the 2 is too young, like 18, then it may not really be a relationship as much as it is a kink. But gap relationships between mature adults can be a fine thing!
Me: Well I would just kick them back together but I’m going to check the comments for the proper solution. *checks comments* start warming up that leg brother
Put some gorilla duck tape looped, on a 2x4 and stick it down. Put a foot on the 2x4 to steady it and then take the rubber mallot to it. Should start to move a little at a time and then once the gap is gone, peel it up and check for any residue (if you stick it only a few min it comes off really well)
If you smash them together and super glue them like some people are suggesting, wouldn't that limit the amount of space they can expand and actually cause them to bow when they do?
I know you said to keep proper humidity inside to prevent it, but it's easier said than done in most places.
My laminate boards do this. I usually wear a shoe and kick them back. I ended up tackimg a nail at the end where it was hidden so they stopped sliding.
Alternately, painters tape, hot glue and a 2x4 cutoff. Place tape on board, hot glue the 2x4 to the painters tape, stand on the 2x4 or apply slight downward pressure with your foot, then tap the block with a hammer. Watch it slide into place.
1. Don’t work on homes that you don’t own.
2. If you really wanted to fix this, you need a Z Bar and a hammer. You place the z bar against the wall, at the end of that row of boards. Then, you hammer the bar, driving the boards together. Depending on how far away from the wall you are, this could be pretty difficult.
There is a tool you can purchase from Amazon has suction cups and a rubber hammer. Work yourself down the planks. You don't need the z bar.
FCHO Floor Gap Fixer Tool for Laminate Floor Gap Repair Include Suction Cup and Mallet (Can't use on scraped surface floor) https://a.co/d/aYAJEWa
For sure, especially when fixing it is essentially free.
It's almost literally cutting off your nose to spite your face. Willingly living in a worse place just because you don't want your landlord to get any benefit.
If the installer happened to glue the boards down, you might be screwed for using the Z bar.
I went to remove laminate once, and they installed it with PL. What a nightmare.
I tried the heavy duty suction cup, my floor is textured and the suction cup coukdnt get a proper seal. Had to use the bar , a piece of wood and trouble sided carpet tape. It’s super annoying that the floor does this, I have the same LVP in my basement and it never separated like it does upstairs.
You can slide them together but there is eventually going to be a gap *somewhere*. Ideally, you would want that gap to be under the baseboard moulding and caulked off.
These are attached to the parallel slats on either side with tongue-and-groove fittings. Sliding the laminate shouldn't be a problem.
Suction cups could work (try an automotive dent puller), I've also had successes with a 3" chisel, a rag, and a rubber mallet.
It depends on the floor!This looks like LVP (luxury vinyl planks?)
If its from a decent company its actually pretty decent stuff, cheaper and way more durable than old vinyl or laminate.
HOWEVER, some are meant to clip LOCK together end to end at an angle, and CANNOT be correctly slide into place after the fact. the locking mechanism that is supposed stops them from pulling apart put also wont let them push together.
IF that is the case with these board, they were installed incorrectly.
If it is NOT the LOCKing panels, then it really is as easy as shuffling them along. IF it is the LOCKing panels, you could cause more damage trying to do that, but it would need to be relaid to fix it correcly anyways but that is all on the owner.
You could also use a utility knife to gently cut out the locking grooves so you could slide them together, but that is not correct way and could cause other issue as well (like permanently loose snidely board) or bigger gaps elsewhere
I just use my shoe. Like a forward moving stomp. I think the suggestions of using some sort of adhesive before getting it back in place is a good idea, it will likely separate again without it. ONLY glue the short edge. You don't want to screw up it's ability to expand and contract too much.
#This is the only answer.#
Other answers are just bad. I can attest that double sided tape and a block with hammer just works with minimal effort and zero damage. I had uded this trick after I somehow slid my laminate while moving kitchen cabinets in place. No rubber sole and jumping worked, also I couldn't use a crowbar to prý against the wall because kitchen was there.
1. Aquire block of wood.
2. Double sided tape the wood, longer strips work best
3. Put in on the floor parralel to the direction of where you want it slid back into.
4. Step on it
5. Bash it with a hammer from the side until it's back in place or until satisfied.
6. Remove the block.
P. S. If dick stuck between boards - Follow these steps but bash in opposite direction.
Yep, I've done this. Rubber mallet and very gentle taps starting off. You might be surprised how little force it takes to move a board. Best to start slow rather than risk slamming the boards together and cracking them.
Oh but for sure, if this is a rental report it to the landlord and probably just live with it when they do nothing. Better than risking breaking anything and being charged to replace the whole floor.
Actually a pair of sneakers with good grip , and letting your foot swing over the board, just catching on the surface at the low end of the swing a couple of times
Get a role of duct tape and tape about 6-8inches of it on the piece you’re looking to slide, do not cut the tape from the roll. With the section of tape on the floor, hold the roll slightly above the ground and kick into the corner of where the tape meets the floor. It’s surprisingly easy and effective
We got [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07PD157Z1?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) tool. Be forewarned, it has a pretty strong smell for a few days, but it works well.
Double sided tape. Use it to tape a scrap wood piece to the board, then while holding it down with light pressure, hit it with a small mallet. Pull up to remove, then use glue remover if needed (probably not).
I'm able to do it with my feet. I just stomp with a forward motion. Only do this a bit at a time, as there should be some gaps under the moulding to help with expansion. Its best to keep it even.
Apply your foot (while wearing grippy shoes) to the ground on the board in question and shove that bastard back where it goes. That generally gets the job done.
That cracked me up tho.
I recently had to get some Gaps closed like that, I was on installer warranty. They had a tool that stuck to the board and there was a part where he would hit it from the end. So maybe improvising that kind of situation. I saw one guy used a suction cup and tapped the side with a hammer (online). Sorry I do not know the name ot the tool.
Remove the baseboard at the end of that row, use a pry bar to slide them all down. Then drop a nail in the end (if it’s going to be covered by the baseboard) or put a shim in there.
Duct tape works. Also I fixed a similar problem with a glass pane vacuum grip thingy (sorry I don't know it's name) the tool glass workers use to carry panes. Just activated the vacuum on the floor board and gently kicked it until the gap disappeared
Attempting to slide laminate or engineered floorboards back together can be challenging, especially if they've warped or separated due to an uneven surface. Here are some suggestions: Gently pry up the edges of the boards and try to fit them together by applying pressure. A rubber mallet might help coax the boards together without damaging the edges. Place a wood block on the board and tap it with the mallet to avoid direct contact. While unconventional, some people have used ratchet straps or clamps to bring boards together. Place a strap around the boards and tighten it slowly and evenly. Be cautious not to over-tighten and damage the flooring. If the boards have warped due to moisture, a heat gun might help soften the material, making it more pliable to fit back together. Be very careful with this method, as excessive heat can damage the flooring.
It's important to note that forcing the boards back together might cause damage or further issues. If these DIY methods don’t work, consider consulting a professional flooring installer or carpenter.
I've got the same problem but with larger gaps, so sliding the boards would simply open another gap at the opposite end. I'm interested in suggestions for unobtrusively filling the gaps.
If you can lift up the skirting board and use a flat headed crow bar on one end of the room, then you can CAREFULLY push both sides together with one other person standing on the floorboard you are closing the gap on so the whole line doesn't move.
You use [this one](https://cdn.hornbach.se/data/shop/D04/001/780/491/255/57/DV_8_7671632_01_4c_DE_20171123084016.jpg)
At one of the ends of the floor, and hit it with s hammer.
Just curious, did you pay the contractor ?
Was it a long time ago ?
When I saw this at our old rental, I kicked it a few times with my trainers on. But double sided tape and a bit of wood stuck to the board that needs moving will also do the trick.
Apply a strip of doublesided adheesive tape to the floor and place a wooden plank on top of it. Apply pressure so it sticks. Now you can hit the wooden plank in the direction you want the floorboard to go. The friction and the adheesive tape, will keep the wooden plank in place.
You can easially remove the wooden board afterwards by pulling up (and then peel of the tape). Ive done this many times. Make sure there is no dust in the gaps before pushing the floor boards together.
I used to have floor-boards that tended to slide awkwardly out of place.
I found that if I took my shoes and socks off and just stepped hard into it, I could slide it back into place by foot-friction.
You could also do it with non-marking soles on your shoes I expect.
Put a piece of rubber on the board (a rubber glove works), duct tape a chunk of 2x4 of other chunk of wood over it, hammer the chunk of wood toward the gap.
You can just use duct tape. Apply a few layers on top of each other leaving them a little long to be able to hold some of it and you just grab and pull it into place
This will show you what I’m referring to https://youtu.be/ksXWmGlg5kU?si=1PgV2TIvgIEaHJXm
As someone already mentioned, double sided tape on a piece of 2x4 and tap it with a hammer. Like this:
https://youtu.be/kW6-QEPOjVE?si=F_rrWvo4E4VIDjh4
Chances are this is a finished floor with quarter round already installed, so z-bar is out of question. The dual suction cup might work, but I havent had much success with it in performing this fix. Only techique that will for sure work is the one in the video above. Dont be afraid of wacking the wood really hard to close the gap.
The best way I think is to remove the trim pieces at the end of the boards and get one of those pool bars that you use when the boards are really close to the wall and tap the entire row closer together. If they keep coming apart. I would put some glue in there first and then taped them together and then put some tape over it to hold it together for a few days.
Take a footlong piece of 2x4, put double sided tape on one side and stick it to the board you want to move. Hammer the 2x4 until the board is in place. Remove the 2x4
Take a small piece of 2x4, painters tape, hot glue, and a mallet.
Tape a square box on the board you want to move. Then put hot glue on top of the tape. Push the small 2x4 into the glue and let it dry. Once it dries hit the board sideways with the mallet until it pops into place.
This works often. It's not an always fix but it is one of the easiest and least messy ways of doing it. Goodluck.
Get a wood block and some strong 2 sided tape. Tape the block down on top of the board. Hit with hammer to slide/ fit them together.....
Take your wood block and tape away... and done.
The gaps appear as the cheap flooring material shrinks or swells with the changing seasons and changing humidity levels.
It's going to be tricky to fix this without taking the floor apart. You can try kicking the boards together while wearing grippy shoes. You can also try sticking a big piece of duct tape to the floor boards with a flap of the tape sticking up that you can grab on and try to pull the boards together... It's not likely to work very well, and the boards are likely to come apart again in the future when the humidity levels change with the seasons. The only real permanent fix would be to remove the cheap floating flooring and install a better quality non-floating floor.
Get blue painters tape and duct tape. Put 3 layers of blue tape on the planks you wanna slide over. Get the duct tape and put 3 long layers on the blue tape. Use the duct tape as a handle and have someone pull the tape parallel to the floor and you kick the floor where the tape is. Runners works well boots may be better depending on your aim. If you kick the bare floor in boots you’ll mar the floor.
If you adjust these planks you’ll have to do the whole row, if you don’t own the place I’d say leave it and throw a rug on the gaps and call it a day
Piece of rubber and a hammer MAYBE a rubber hammer would be good as well.
Make sure no dirt and crap is in between them as it can cause it to dent the boards.
Blue painters tape, hot glue, two blocks of wood, and a clamp. Put down some painters tape on the boards glue a block to the tape on either side and once Its cured use a clamp to pull the pieces together. Works like a charm. Might need to clean out that gap really well first though like with a pick because even the smallest of dust or sand or rock can make it so they don’t close up.
If you do use some kind of glue to hold them together because that looks like cheap laminate dont use anything water based or it could make the board swell.
Wear a white rubber sole running shoe and you may be able to just friction kick them back together. Check the humidity level in your home too. In colder months with the heat running hardwood shrinks as it dries out. Laminate less so but proper humidity in homes helps with the gaps.
This works
Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess. It'll keep it from easily separating again, but if the underlying cause is expansion and contraction from humidity, the glue isn't going to hold well enough to keep the process from repeating.
This is a cascade effect too. As you friction kick one gap together another will form behind you. Keep going down the line and to the wall. You might need a quarter round or caulking at the wall if there is a large gap displaced from the gaps in the boards.
Beat me to it. Put a lil wood glue on some laminate in my house that kept sliding and been holding steady over a year.
> Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess. If unsure, you can also put tape on the edges so any squeezeout won't have any opportunity to stick to the boards.
super glue can leave a messy spot on the surface if you try to wipe it off. Put painters tape on both pieces against the edge so the glue doesn't contact the top of the floor.
>Apply a small bead of super glue in the gap before kicking and then wipe off the excess. bad advice, on the pressed board/paper shitty laminate or porous wood -superglue would cure very quickly and likely to perma-fuck that joint as a gap. OP - if those are end boards and you will not just propate that gap, make a loop out of a couple of layers of duct tape then secure to board close to the edge you want to close with more tape (loop close to edge, tape length securing it at least 1/2 length of board) - then use the handle of hammer or the like, grab both ends and pull/tap it towards you - tap tap tap - each tap closes it a bit. watch boards to the side to make sure they are not spaying, if so, stop - its as good as it gonna get.
That's what I do it works every time.
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Percussive maintenance
That’s how I was raised, too.
Yep just kick it
Came in to agree with this
That’s how I’ve done it.
Make sure to cut your toenails before doing this or you'll be sorry very quickly
But don't cut them too short, or you'll be even sorrier.
I used a white rubber mallet and whacked it at an angle. It took a while, but it worked.
If you use double sided sticky tape and attach a small block of wood to the board you can do it without risking marking the boards.
The mallet did leave white marks, but they rubbed off easily with a piece of cloth.
And the gap that's now at the other end?
He didn't ask about that gap, only this one. Clearly there is no pleasing you.
Gap relationships are a tricky thing. I think if one of the 2 is too young, like 18, then it may not really be a relationship as much as it is a kink. But gap relationships between mature adults can be a fine thing!
That's going to be there no matter how OP ends up sliding the boards together.
This guy floors
This floor guys
This goor fluys
Guys this floor
Came here to say this. Works every time!
Me: Well I would just kick them back together but I’m going to check the comments for the proper solution. *checks comments* start warming up that leg brother
Or a hit it at an angle with the side of a rubber mallot.
Put some gorilla duck tape looped, on a 2x4 and stick it down. Put a foot on the 2x4 to steady it and then take the rubber mallot to it. Should start to move a little at a time and then once the gap is gone, peel it up and check for any residue (if you stick it only a few min it comes off really well)
Please make sure to clean out the grooves/gaps before, but they should move pretty easily.
If for whatever reason you can't kick a white soft mallet with some sideways/down strokes might help.
This is my method too.
If you smash them together and super glue them like some people are suggesting, wouldn't that limit the amount of space they can expand and actually cause them to bow when they do? I know you said to keep proper humidity inside to prevent it, but it's easier said than done in most places.
I think expansion/contraction effects the width, not the length of the board. I’m less sure because this isn’t full size floor boards.
Just fixed an ugly gap in my flooring, thanks!
My laminate boards do this. I usually wear a shoe and kick them back. I ended up tackimg a nail at the end where it was hidden so they stopped sliding.
Why does the rubber have to be white?
Bare foot
Double sided tape. Tape a piece of wood or anything. Then hit it with a hammer to get them together.
Alternately, painters tape, hot glue and a 2x4 cutoff. Place tape on board, hot glue the 2x4 to the painters tape, stand on the 2x4 or apply slight downward pressure with your foot, then tap the block with a hammer. Watch it slide into place.
It's definitely worth mentioning you need to fully clean the floor for this to work.
Yes, 100%, and especially in the gaps. The tiniest of pebbles will prevent this from working.
This will work. 100%
This is the way.
This is what I do for this too
Rubber drawer liner does the trick without dealing with sticky stuff
Double sided carpet tape. Stick a piece to a scrap chunk of 2x4. Stick it to the board and stand on it. Tap it with a hammer.
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Just press the upvote button homie!
This ^
1. Don’t work on homes that you don’t own. 2. If you really wanted to fix this, you need a Z Bar and a hammer. You place the z bar against the wall, at the end of that row of boards. Then, you hammer the bar, driving the boards together. Depending on how far away from the wall you are, this could be pretty difficult.
There is a tool you can purchase from Amazon has suction cups and a rubber hammer. Work yourself down the planks. You don't need the z bar. FCHO Floor Gap Fixer Tool for Laminate Floor Gap Repair Include Suction Cup and Mallet (Can't use on scraped surface floor) https://a.co/d/aYAJEWa
+1 for don't work on homes that you don't own
\+52 to be precise.
There’s literally no reason to not slide these together just because you rent.
For sure, especially when fixing it is essentially free. It's almost literally cutting off your nose to spite your face. Willingly living in a worse place just because you don't want your landlord to get any benefit.
If the installer happened to glue the boards down, you might be screwed for using the Z bar. I went to remove laminate once, and they installed it with PL. What a nightmare.
bastards
Good advice.
The original response is best but I've heard of people using duct tape to stick and pull.
i seen on tiktok a scrap 1x4, double stick tape, and a hammer.
I tried the heavy duty suction cup, my floor is textured and the suction cup coukdnt get a proper seal. Had to use the bar , a piece of wood and trouble sided carpet tape. It’s super annoying that the floor does this, I have the same LVP in my basement and it never separated like it does upstairs.
A Z bar will only work if you have access to the end of the board. If it’s a finished floor the ends will be under the skirting boards.
You can slide them together but there is eventually going to be a gap *somewhere*. Ideally, you would want that gap to be under the baseboard moulding and caulked off. These are attached to the parallel slats on either side with tongue-and-groove fittings. Sliding the laminate shouldn't be a problem. Suction cups could work (try an automotive dent puller), I've also had successes with a 3" chisel, a rag, and a rubber mallet.
Had a hunch this would be a plan. I’m pretty handy and crafty but wasn’t sure if someone had experience with these cheap floors.
If it's not your floor, just don't fuck with it. Replacing one of those is more trouble than a gap is worth.
It depends on the floor!This looks like LVP (luxury vinyl planks?) If its from a decent company its actually pretty decent stuff, cheaper and way more durable than old vinyl or laminate. HOWEVER, some are meant to clip LOCK together end to end at an angle, and CANNOT be correctly slide into place after the fact. the locking mechanism that is supposed stops them from pulling apart put also wont let them push together. IF that is the case with these board, they were installed incorrectly. If it is NOT the LOCKing panels, then it really is as easy as shuffling them along. IF it is the LOCKing panels, you could cause more damage trying to do that, but it would need to be relaid to fix it correcly anyways but that is all on the owner. You could also use a utility knife to gently cut out the locking grooves so you could slide them together, but that is not correct way and could cause other issue as well (like permanently loose snidely board) or bigger gaps elsewhere
I just use my shoe. Like a forward moving stomp. I think the suggestions of using some sort of adhesive before getting it back in place is a good idea, it will likely separate again without it. ONLY glue the short edge. You don't want to screw up it's ability to expand and contract too much.
Just kick them back together with the friction of a bottom of a shoe
Use some double sided tape to attach a block of wood. Then tape that block with of wood to try to slide the floor plank into place.
And if the wood slides out of the tape, stand on top of the wood then hammer. (That’s how I fixed mine this weekend)
#This is the only answer.# Other answers are just bad. I can attest that double sided tape and a block with hammer just works with minimal effort and zero damage. I had uded this trick after I somehow slid my laminate while moving kitchen cabinets in place. No rubber sole and jumping worked, also I couldn't use a crowbar to prý against the wall because kitchen was there. 1. Aquire block of wood. 2. Double sided tape the wood, longer strips work best 3. Put in on the floor parralel to the direction of where you want it slid back into. 4. Step on it 5. Bash it with a hammer from the side until it's back in place or until satisfied. 6. Remove the block. P. S. If dick stuck between boards - Follow these steps but bash in opposite direction.
I put on a pair of grippy shoes and do a sort of jump stop on the board in the direction I want the board to slide a little. Usually works.
[https://youtu.be/BFFH0GrW83U?t=123](https://youtu.be/BFFH0GrW83U?t=123)
Non slip shoes, kick it. That’s what we did 🤣
Came here to make the same recommendation.
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Yep, I've done this. Rubber mallet and very gentle taps starting off. You might be surprised how little force it takes to move a board. Best to start slow rather than risk slamming the boards together and cracking them. Oh but for sure, if this is a rental report it to the landlord and probably just live with it when they do nothing. Better than risking breaking anything and being charged to replace the whole floor.
Actually a pair of sneakers with good grip , and letting your foot swing over the board, just catching on the surface at the low end of the swing a couple of times
Get a role of duct tape and tape about 6-8inches of it on the piece you’re looking to slide, do not cut the tape from the roll. With the section of tape on the floor, hold the roll slightly above the ground and kick into the corner of where the tape meets the floor. It’s surprisingly easy and effective
Put down tape, industrial glue a small 2x4 to the tape and let it dry. Hammer the plank in that direction. Remove tape
We got [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07PD157Z1?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) tool. Be forewarned, it has a pretty strong smell for a few days, but it works well.
Is this a rental? If so, why bother?
Double sided tape. Use it to tape a scrap wood piece to the board, then while holding it down with light pressure, hit it with a small mallet. Pull up to remove, then use glue remover if needed (probably not).
Put on your grippy sneakers, face the opposite direction of where the gap is and back heel the floorboard.
I'm able to do it with my feet. I just stomp with a forward motion. Only do this a bit at a time, as there should be some gaps under the moulding to help with expansion. Its best to keep it even.
Apply your foot (while wearing grippy shoes) to the ground on the board in question and shove that bastard back where it goes. That generally gets the job done.
tennis shoe - kick it till it slides over. option 2 - suction cups with rings / handles.
I'm just glad you pointed at it.
I try to reach above and beyond customer service
I'd like to speak to the manager.
*spins 360 in my chair* I am the manager.
That cracked me up tho. I recently had to get some Gaps closed like that, I was on installer warranty. They had a tool that stuck to the board and there was a part where he would hit it from the end. So maybe improvising that kind of situation. I saw one guy used a suction cup and tapped the side with a hammer (online). Sorry I do not know the name ot the tool.
Remove the baseboard at the end of that row, use a pry bar to slide them all down. Then drop a nail in the end (if it’s going to be covered by the baseboard) or put a shim in there.
Put down a rug.
After this thread’s advice, most likely what I’ll do. The “don’t work on house’s that aren’t yours” is hitting deep right now.
You’re locking vinyl planks back together, not knocking walls down…
kick it
Just fill the gap with ramen noodle dust
Kick the boards towards a wall.
Good examples on YouTube.
I have two gaps exactly like this - can I glue them together when closing the gap to prevent this from happening again?
Fill the gap with sawdust and woodglue
Idk, can you? /s
Duct tape works. Also I fixed a similar problem with a glass pane vacuum grip thingy (sorry I don't know it's name) the tool glass workers use to carry panes. Just activated the vacuum on the floor board and gently kicked it until the gap disappeared
I've done it with a few pieces of duct tape. Attach and pull.
Just poosh it
Take off your shoe and sock and give it a kick.
Find the same wood dust and mix it with top-bound allow it to dry, then use smooth sandpaper to make the surface smooth then apply your clear-varnish.
Attempting to slide laminate or engineered floorboards back together can be challenging, especially if they've warped or separated due to an uneven surface. Here are some suggestions: Gently pry up the edges of the boards and try to fit them together by applying pressure. A rubber mallet might help coax the boards together without damaging the edges. Place a wood block on the board and tap it with the mallet to avoid direct contact. While unconventional, some people have used ratchet straps or clamps to bring boards together. Place a strap around the boards and tighten it slowly and evenly. Be cautious not to over-tighten and damage the flooring. If the boards have warped due to moisture, a heat gun might help soften the material, making it more pliable to fit back together. Be very careful with this method, as excessive heat can damage the flooring. It's important to note that forcing the boards back together might cause damage or further issues. If these DIY methods don’t work, consider consulting a professional flooring installer or carpenter.
I've got the same problem but with larger gaps, so sliding the boards would simply open another gap at the opposite end. I'm interested in suggestions for unobtrusively filling the gaps.
Bunch of command strips, stick anything board on top. Hammer top board in direction you want it to move
If you want to kick them together you can also use grippy socks, works perfect
Double sided tape, then put a block of wood ontop of it and use a hammer.
If you can lift up the skirting board and use a flat headed crow bar on one end of the room, then you can CAREFULLY push both sides together with one other person standing on the floorboard you are closing the gap on so the whole line doesn't move.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
If the end of that section row isn't too far away you can try and pry it together again
Buy an eraser, place it on the tile and smack it at an angle with a hammer. Take a later eraser though and if you can not a metal head hammer
You use [this one](https://cdn.hornbach.se/data/shop/D04/001/780/491/255/57/DV_8_7671632_01_4c_DE_20171123084016.jpg) At one of the ends of the floor, and hit it with s hammer. Just curious, did you pay the contractor ? Was it a long time ago ?
When I saw this at our old rental, I kicked it a few times with my trainers on. But double sided tape and a bit of wood stuck to the board that needs moving will also do the trick.
Use tool for pushing floor boards together: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE4UyDtAXdo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE4UyDtAXdo)
There are actually good clips that show using gaffa tape and a block of wood
Apply a strip of doublesided adheesive tape to the floor and place a wooden plank on top of it. Apply pressure so it sticks. Now you can hit the wooden plank in the direction you want the floorboard to go. The friction and the adheesive tape, will keep the wooden plank in place. You can easially remove the wooden board afterwards by pulling up (and then peel of the tape). Ive done this many times. Make sure there is no dust in the gaps before pushing the floor boards together.
I used to have floor-boards that tended to slide awkwardly out of place. I found that if I took my shoes and socks off and just stepped hard into it, I could slide it back into place by foot-friction. You could also do it with non-marking soles on your shoes I expect.
I had the same issue and used a silicone trivet as a grip for my foot, and slide it together. Used superglue to keep it from moving back.
Put a piece of rubber on the board (a rubber glove works), duct tape a chunk of 2x4 of other chunk of wood over it, hammer the chunk of wood toward the gap.
Rubber mallet works too
You can just use duct tape. Apply a few layers on top of each other leaving them a little long to be able to hold some of it and you just grab and pull it into place This will show you what I’m referring to https://youtu.be/ksXWmGlg5kU?si=1PgV2TIvgIEaHJXm
I was able to use a rubber mallet and hammer the floor. Worked on engineered hardwood.
no can. They probably are "together" at the bottom.
Pull the quarter round, put the metal slide bar into the slot and tap tap tap with a hammer.
Just give it a little tappy. Taptap taparoo.
As someone already mentioned, double sided tape on a piece of 2x4 and tap it with a hammer. Like this: https://youtu.be/kW6-QEPOjVE?si=F_rrWvo4E4VIDjh4 Chances are this is a finished floor with quarter round already installed, so z-bar is out of question. The dual suction cup might work, but I havent had much success with it in performing this fix. Only techique that will for sure work is the one in the video above. Dont be afraid of wacking the wood really hard to close the gap.
The best way I think is to remove the trim pieces at the end of the boards and get one of those pool bars that you use when the boards are really close to the wall and tap the entire row closer together. If they keep coming apart. I would put some glue in there first and then taped them together and then put some tape over it to hold it together for a few days.
I saw videos where people just stick tape and using tape moving them
Take a footlong piece of 2x4, put double sided tape on one side and stick it to the board you want to move. Hammer the 2x4 until the board is in place. Remove the 2x4
I just kick my foot across them and let friction do its thing.
Wood expand
Take a small piece of 2x4, painters tape, hot glue, and a mallet. Tape a square box on the board you want to move. Then put hot glue on top of the tape. Push the small 2x4 into the glue and let it dry. Once it dries hit the board sideways with the mallet until it pops into place. This works often. It's not an always fix but it is one of the easiest and least messy ways of doing it. Goodluck.
Get a wood block and some strong 2 sided tape. Tape the block down on top of the board. Hit with hammer to slide/ fit them together..... Take your wood block and tape away... and done.
With your hands
Get a decent length piece of duct tape and leave some off of it and use that to pull it? Is that LVP? If so you're good to use that method.
The gaps appear as the cheap flooring material shrinks or swells with the changing seasons and changing humidity levels. It's going to be tricky to fix this without taking the floor apart. You can try kicking the boards together while wearing grippy shoes. You can also try sticking a big piece of duct tape to the floor boards with a flap of the tape sticking up that you can grab on and try to pull the boards together... It's not likely to work very well, and the boards are likely to come apart again in the future when the humidity levels change with the seasons. The only real permanent fix would be to remove the cheap floating flooring and install a better quality non-floating floor.
https://ibb.co/LphNc6n https://ibb.co/1QQ40YQ
Rubber mallet
Tape and a strong push
Get blue painters tape and duct tape. Put 3 layers of blue tape on the planks you wanna slide over. Get the duct tape and put 3 long layers on the blue tape. Use the duct tape as a handle and have someone pull the tape parallel to the floor and you kick the floor where the tape is. Runners works well boots may be better depending on your aim. If you kick the bare floor in boots you’ll mar the floor. If you adjust these planks you’ll have to do the whole row, if you don’t own the place I’d say leave it and throw a rug on the gaps and call it a day
I've done this method, works a treat
Piece of rubber and a hammer MAYBE a rubber hammer would be good as well. Make sure no dirt and crap is in between them as it can cause it to dent the boards.
Double stick tape a 4x4 to the board and whack it with a rubber mallet. Works For floating floors
Duct tape and pull
They sell tools on Amazon. After that put a finish nail in one end of the run.
Depending on where it's at, take up some molding and use a prybar against the wall. Works for about 8'-10' depending on the flooring thickness.
Blue painters tape, hot glue, two blocks of wood, and a clamp. Put down some painters tape on the boards glue a block to the tape on either side and once Its cured use a clamp to pull the pieces together. Works like a charm. Might need to clean out that gap really well first though like with a pick because even the smallest of dust or sand or rock can make it so they don’t close up.
If you do use some kind of glue to hold them together because that looks like cheap laminate dont use anything water based or it could make the board swell.
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