Gap opened up in laminate floor

[Mike]

Hi Folks -

Over the last few months there has been a gap opening up in the laminate floor in my kitchen. 2 pieces of the floor are sliding for some reason. See these pics which show the floor -

There's not a good way (that I can think of) to grab the floor and try to pull it back in place. I suppose I could pull the dishwasher and using a hammer, tap the end of that strip of flooring to get it back in place, but I haven't tried that yet (a big hassle to disconnect and pull dishwasher).

Any ideas what might have caused this? And how to fix it? Of course, I'd prefer to avoid calling a floor company to fix this.

Thanks for any ideas!

Mike

[rlz]

Mike, The only thing that I can think of is that one of the dishwasher's leg was on that board and the vibration over time caused it to move toward the dishwasher. My solution is to pull the dishwasher and hammer the board back in place. I would then make sure the dishwasher's leg are on the sub-floor. You may need to cut a small square out of the floor board to accomplish this. Pulling the dishwasher shouldn'tbe that big of a problem. Typically they are screwed into the underside of the countertop. Then they just pull forward. The water line and drain should have enough slack to easily move it out.

Robin

[willshak]

After tapping the laminate back in place, drill a couple of holes in the end of the laminate under the dishwasher and drive some nails in it to prevent it traveling again. Never mind that 1/4" gap that is supposed to be left at the end. The way that piece has easily moved, the 1/4" gap left under the other end should take care of expansion..

[dadiOH]

Best guess, dishwasher vibration

Same as yours...remove dishwasher, tap boards back; also, afix something against that edge and to floor so they won't move again.

[HeyBub]

You've got to remove the dishwasher. Or you could place a garbage can on the blank space and ignore the problem.

Don't hammer directly on the laminate, you'll booger the edge. Use a block of some kind.

[rmorton]

You mentioned on the pictures that the laminate ends only a couple of inches under the dishwasher so think would try a laminate floor pull bar (Lowe's Item 196458) and gently tap it back in place. You would need to remove the access cover at the bottom of the dishwasher but there should be room to slide and hook the pull bar. As the piece of laminate is driven back into position would place a glob of silicon underneath the

1/4 round trim and slide the laminate into it. Once hardened, should hold the laminate but still give room for expansion.

[JIMMIE]

When I did my hallway I had to mill a custom transition piece to go from one room to the hallway. I had to order the wood and it took about two weeks to get it. In that time I had a piece "walk" like that. I tapped it back in place applying a couple of drops of glue. It didnt come out again although it was at least another two weeks before I could get the piece milled and installed.

Jimmie

[Mike]

Thanks for the replies. It seems like pulling the dishwasher is unavoidable, so that's what I'll do.

Mike

[floorgapfixer]

I would try the Floor Gap Fixer. I know this post was from years back. This tool allows you to close gaps in laminate floors quick and easy. Check it out at