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I have a laminate "click together" flooring and some of the board have separated.
If I kick my foot on some of the boards, I can scooch some of them together. However, its not very effective. Is there a tool for closing floorboards. Perhaps something that has a rubber foot to stick to the board that I can tap along with a hammer?
A suction cup (~$12) and a rubber mallet:
From:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mmhet1bp9U
... its possible to stick the suction cup to the floor board and tap it with a rubber mallet. Glue can be applied in the gaps. The gaps should be cleared of debris first.
So, someone finally made a product for this. Mine is on the way so I'll let you know how it works. It's an aluminum bar with a micro-suction material on it. Simple but genius.
Apply wood glue in the gap, kick the boards together with your foot or a hammer + piece of scrap wood in the gap on the other side, and then tape the now-glued-together boards with a couple pieces of masking tape or blue painter's tape.
I had 15-20 gaps in the entire house. Last time I pulled the baseboard and used a prybar and the z-bar that I used for installation. I had my wife help so I wouldn't damage the boards. I added glue to the gaps before closing them and I did this in one room. I glued those ones and a month later more gaps appeared in other areas of the room. I checked youtube and the internet and found that people were using the "Handle on Demand". I was pretty excited about it. I bought one and it was wider than my flooring (mine are 3" wide). I saw Dylan post and checked out this "floor gap fixer". I decide to buy one since it would fit my flooring and the videos on youtube showed it working well. You move one board at a time until you get to the wall. I was able to do it myself and it went quick. I only added glue to the first gap. It was quick and worked well. Much better than pulling the baseboard again. I am no longer dreading the day when my wife spots a gap. I will update you If anything changes but for me it was worth it. I am thinking about starting a business to close gaps after seeing all of the views on these youtube videos.
It is normal for laminate flooring to expand and contract with changing seasons and changing humidity. The important thing is that it must not be fastened down at the edges, or pinned under too-tight or toenailed baseboards. The whole floor needs to be able to contract as a unit, with the slack taken up at the edges. If the edges cannot move, then the boards will pull apart.
