Laminate flooring is one of the great choices for high-traffic areas of your home. With its durability, affordability, and easy maintenance, knowing how to fix laminate flooring when issues arise is important. However, over time, laminate planks may start to lift or separate at the seams due to minor subfloor imperfections, moisture issues, improper installation, seasonal humidity changes, or frequent impact in certain areas. Lifting laminate flooring can become a trip hazard and allow moisture underneath, potentially damaging the planks. The answer to how to fix laminate flooring that is lifting is covered in this article.
If you have some basic skills and tools, you can fix small parts of lifted flooring without having to replace whole rooms of flooring. You can save money on floor repairs by learning the common reasons why floors lift and the step-by-step process for fixing them.
Why fix Laminate Flooring Lifts?
There are four main reasons why the edges or seams of laminate flooring planks may start to lift over time:
Uneven Subfloors
Laminate flooring needs a flat, even subfloor without dips, bumps, or inconsistencies to adhere properly. If the subfloor is uneven, some planks can detach from the surface while others stay firmly attached, causing lifting edges and gaps. Homeowners often look for ways to fix laminate flooring when this issue occurs, especially with concrete subfloors prone to minor cracks over many years.
Moisture Issues
If there is too much moisture under the floor, especially if the subfloor is made of wood, the planks and subfloor may grow at different rates. Some edges or seams are pushed up by this. Leaks from equipment like dishwashers and washing machines, basements with too much humidity, and flooding all add to the problem.
Improper Installation
Lifting can happen if the laminate wasn’t installed correctly or wasn’t allowed to get used to the humidity level in the room as directed by the maker. Using the wrong adhesives for a floating installation or not leaving enough room along the walls for expansion during installation can also affect how well it works in the future.
Seasonal Humidity Fluctuations
Wood-based laminate expands and contracts slightly with changes in relative indoor humidity year-round. The gaps this movement creates tend to appear along seams first. Excess seasonal humidity levels make these natural expansion and contraction issues more dramatic in some climates.
Now that we’ve covered why lifting happens, let’s discuss your step-by-step repair options.
How to Fix Lifting Laminate Floor Seams?
Needed Supplies: latex wood glue, painter’s tape, rubber mallet, laminate tapping block, pry bar, replacement laminate boards, circular or jigsaw saw, safety glasses, and a dust mask.
Identify Loose Plank Edges
Walk across the entire laminate floor, checking for lifted edges or gaps between planks. Mark each spot with painter’s tape to identify the problem areas you’ll be fixing. Use a pry bar to gently test and confirm that the planks are detached.
Remove Affected Planks
Starting at one side of each affected plank, carefully pry up the detached laminate with your fingers or pry bar while tapping with a rubber mallet against the side still attached to dislodge it. Remove and set aside each plank you can lift without damaging the adjoining boards.
Fix Underlying Issues
Check under each plank you removed to determine why lifting occurred. Eliminate the root cause, whether it’s applying floor leveler to dips or bumps, installing new moisture barriers, or using caulk and drainage improvements to resolve moisture incursion in basements.
Glue Loose Planks Back Down
Squeeze a 1/4” bead of latex wood glue along the tongues and grooves of each plank. Tap them gently back into place with a laminate tapping block and rubber mallet if needed until the edges are even. Add painter’s tape across seams to hold planks tightly together while the glue dries overnight. Remove the tape once dry.
Replace Damaged Planks
For lifted planks that tore or showed structural damage when you removed them. Rip final planks to width with a jigsaw for tight spaces if needed. Dry fit cuts before gluing replacements into place and tap with block/mallet for tight seams.
Add Shims if Needed
Small plastic shims can boost lifted planks that don’t lay flat after gluing or have gaps underneath. Simply tap shims partially underneath the plank every 12 inches until even with the floor. Snap or cut excess shim length.
Seal Expansion Spaces
After making repairs, run a bead of flexible silicone caulk along all expansion spaces at walls or vertical changes. This will stop air leaks and the buildup of debris that can stop the planks from moving naturally.
As part of the repairs, make sure to fix any problems with the floorboards that are going on below. With a little work, you can fix your hardwood flooring yourself without having to pay a lot of money or make a lot of mess.
Conclusion
Lifting seams in laminate floors or planks coming loose along the edges are regular problems that get worse over time. But, how to fix laminate flooring that is lifting? Don’t worry, you can usually make your laminate floors last longer if you learn what makes them lift and how to fix them yourself. Fixing problems with uneven subfloors, and moisture, reattaching loose planks properly with glue, replacing damaged boards, and keeping enough expansion space are the most important things to do.
Regularly looking for lifted edges that could become trip risks and fixing them right away will also keep you from having to make bigger repairs in the future. With these step-by-step instructions and the right tools, a handy user can fix lifting laminate flooring seams without having to pay a lot of money for a professional installation.
Read more: 7 Different Patterns of Parquet Flooring
