Vinyl Flooring Expansion Gap Too Big

Just enough to absorb the smaller amount of expansion a bonded vinyl floor moves.

Vinyl flooring expansion gap too big.

When installing floating vinyl floors it is necessary to allow for this expansion by leaving a gap around the perimeter of the floor or anywhere it meets another floor or vertical surface. Floating floor installation is also ideal when installing new laminate engineered or luxury vinyl flooring lvf over an existing floor like ours that sits atop an older tile floor. You just leave 1 4 inch between the wall and planks. Floating floors are designed to allow for the seasonal expansion and contraction of the flooring planks.

Vinyl is susceptible to temperature changes in its ambient environment which will cause the vinyl flooring to expand and contract with normal hot and cold fluctuations. If the floor is installed flush with the wall there is no room for growth in the hot months and the loose lay floor can easily buckle. Expert installers say that the larger the space the larger the expansion gap should be as the floor needs more space to expand and contract with temperature. The recommended expansion gap is a minimum of inch.

Ways to prevent vinyl plank buckling. Read the manufacturer s instructions but generally 1 4 5 16 of gap along the wall measured from the bottom plate if your drywall is 1 2 off the floor as it should be is ample expansion space and easily covered by the baseboard. Since laminate flooring is a floating floor it is not attached to the sub floor and sits on top of the underlayment. A floating floor usually needs 5 10mm the loose planks will absorb heat and expand like any flooring material some more than others so you run the risk of it buckling.