So our birch floor has a lot of gaps near the kitchen sink. They are uneven in size, and it's as if the pieces have drifted toward sink. I've just spent some quality time prying crud out of the gaps, and now I'm wondering how to move the boards tight again.
The boards were glued down probably 10 are 20 years ago (I'm in Quebec). Is there a way to soften the glue underneath so that the boards can float? I'm thinking heat.
Near the kitchen sink is a likely clue. Odds are the floor (whether glued down or nailed down or even both) got wet and swelled, which has the power to overcome gluing and nailing. Then it's dried, and the boards don't move back, they stay where they are and get narrower.
I don't know of any method other than taking the floor up and reinstalling it (if it survives being taken up) or installing a new one to fix that. If you fill the gaps, the next time the floor gets damp or wet it will move further because instead of expanding into the gaps, it will expand against the filler material and shove the next board over some more, until the boards hit the wall framing and start bulging upwards.
Moving the boards back would require applying tremendous force to the edge of the boards that's presumably hidden under the cabinets. That's impractical.
