Vinyl floor planks keep moving

Submitted by CoconutAndLime811 t3_yyp50p in DIY

I have vinyl flooring (Shaw Flooring) in my house. The planks in one area (the kitchen) keep moving and I keep getting gaps of up to 1/2 inch. The planks have a click and lock mechanism. I have a suction cup device that I use to move the planks into place from time to time but they keep shifting. Can I nail down the planks? I’m afraid of them splitting. Should I use glue? I have extra planks; will replacing individual planks help? Thank you!!

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LongjumpingCup6897 t1_iwvdh0f wrote

You probably worn down clip side of it from moving it on and off

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bkwSoft t1_iwvefsj wrote

Do you have planks separating in the middle of the floor or are the gaps opening around the edges?

That’s supposed to be a floating floor and not glued or nailed to the subfloor.

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CoconutAndLime811 OP t1_iwves6b wrote

Replying to bkwSoft (#568,613)

The planks are separating in the middle of the floor, not so much at the ends. I bought the house last year so I don’t have much insight on how they were installed but I wonder if it was DIY’d hastily without much prep. I just don’t want to redo the entire floor; I’m wondering if I can replace a few planks and use something to keep them from sliding around so much. Thanks!

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FormerAircraftMech t1_iwvg5w8 wrote

I have the same thing. In the middle of the floor 2 planks slide exposing a gap at wall or island. I just deal with it but you could easily slide it in one direction to expose a gap. Hit it with some super glue and slide it back Installers use super glue to glue smaller end pieces together

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bunbeck13 t1_iwvgs22 wrote

Slip some glue in the cracks before sliding thrm back together

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szmandalawguy t1_iwvkxko wrote

I have a floating vinyl floor and I get gaps all the time. The planks expand and contract with the changing weather. I used a finishing nail gun on the problem areas and it helped a lot.

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GrimResistance t1_iwvp2em wrote

I have the same problem in a few spots on my floor. I just vacuum all the dirt and crud out of the gap and super glue the tabs

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ClarenceWagner t1_ix6wfs3 wrote

The long edges separating or are the short edges? My guess from what your saying it's the short ends.

It's likely that the floor has too much variation and or the planks are being pinched under moldings or cabinets. Both will let the plank full apart, if it's pinching by moldings or under a cabinet that's a solvable problem with gel superglue (after fixing the problems origination). If it's the floor is majorly uneven like there is a hump or dip.. that's a problem than cannot be easily fixed superglue might hold it together but it might just change where the problem is manifesting.

Nailing a floating floor down is not a recommended fix and most times will just make more problems.

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