How to fix separating vinyl flooring planks without replacing them
Vinyl flooring planks often separate and peel up due to underlying moisture damage or an uneven subfloor. This leaves homeowners dealing with uncomfortable ridges and gaps underfoot, forcing them to look for temporary fixes to stop further peeling when they cannot afford a brand new installation.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 50.8× more often in r/Flooring than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Kicking the plank back into place using a rubber-soled shoeDid this help you?
- 2Reaching out to the flooring installerDid this help you?
- 3Applying heat with a hair dryer to relax the curlDid this help you?
- 4Trowelling vinyl or linoleum adhesive under the lips of the peeling materialDid this help you?
- 5Weighing down the repaired area overnight with a stack of heavy booksDid this help you?
- 6Using a dedicated roller, rolling pin, or wine bottle to help bond the flooring downDid this help you?
- 7Letting the area dry out completely before gluing the tiles back downDid this help you?
- 8Searching online help sites despite finding that available resources only cover plank and LVP flooring.Did this help you?
- 9Using wood glue in the gaps to adhere the planks togetherDid this help you?
- 10Using duct tape and a wood block with a hammer to push planks back into placeDid this help you?
- 11Using painters tape to hold the joint closed overnight after gluingDid this help you?
- 12Running a humidifier to adjust indoor humidity levelsDid this help you?
- 13Using a heat gun or hairdryer to warm the plankDid this help you?
- 14Applying glue or Gorilla Glue under the lifting plank and pressing it downDid this help you?
- 15Ripping up the flooring back to the damaged planks and relaying the room with new planksDid this help you?
- 16Stopping further attempts to fix it to avoid making it worseDid this help you?
- 17Applying water to the damaged area to see if the color temporarily returnsDid this help you?
- 18Drill a hole and use a specialized adhesive like fix-a-floor as a temporary fixDid this help you?
- 19Rip up the flooring, secure the subfloor, apply self-leveling concrete, and install thicker new LVPDid this help you?
- 20Cutting tiny micro pieces of matching flooring to wedge into the gaps.Did this help you?
- 21Applying flexible caulk or specialized gap filler like Loba.Did this help you?
- 22Using a pull bar or suction tools to tap the planks back together.Did this help you?
- 23Installing new flooring directly over the existing planks.Did this help you?
- 24Cutting out the damaged planks, removing the locking mechanism from new replacement planks, and gluing them to the adjacent planksDid this help you?
- 25Removing the cabinet toe kicks to cut a proper expansion gap before re-installing the floorDid this help you?
- 26Unclicking the floor from the nearest wallDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Whoever installed this floor seemingly intentionally left these gaps between the tiles (or whatever they're called) and it's ugly and traps dirt and stuff.”source ↗
“Does anyone know if this can be repaired or made significantly less noticeable without replacing the entire plank?”source ↗
“A large portion of the floor has an issue where individual planks slide very easily along their length, separating at the short-end joints.”source ↗
“I can literally move some of the planks with my foot and create gaps of 3 inches or more.”source ↗
“I’m trying to figure out the simplest permanent repair without having to replace the entire first floor.”source ↗
“Flooring was completed back in April. I noticed this separation this morning, what gives?!”source ↗
“I've reached out to the installer who is guessing moisture damage?”source ↗
“Just like the title says, LVP flooring installed on a new-ish house (4 years ago) is coming up in a few places.”source ↗
“I asked The Google and some info I found said to use a heat gun, some said to carefully put something like Gorilla Glue under it and press it down, others said you have to pull it up all the way and replace. Gah.”source ↗
“My mom just bought this house and I'm just wondering if there's a way to fill the gaps until she eventually gets the whole floor redone.”source ↗
“I do recall that being an issue day of install, the floor below the original was uneven etc”source ↗
“Bought a house a year and a half ago. There’s a spot in our kitchen where there’s always been a bit of a hard bump under the LVP flooring, and recently it’s started to crack around the bump. Am I right in thinking it’s mostly just due to the subfloor not being properly leveled before installation? And if that’s the case, how do I go about fixing that? And is there a temporary fix I can use to prevent further damage until I can do a more permanent fix?”source ↗
“We had the same thing happen recently, they used a peel & stick or glue down vinyl and left gaps everywhere, we didn’t want to replace all the floors bc they still looked good”source ↗
“I thought I'd be fine with 8.5mm thickness and 20 mil wear layer but apparently not. How should I get this fixed?”source ↗
“Still im pretty clueless on how to do it, also the cabinets rest on top of the flooring so i wouldnt want to unclick that”source ↗
“I can’t afford new flooring right now.”source ↗
“I just realized the spot in front of my fridge began peeling upward because of the moisture damage.”source ↗
“Is there anything I can do—say, apply heat and then weigh it down?—to at least buy me some time because I really cannot handle another home expense right now.”source ↗
“I just don’t want this to peel up further and would love if I couldn’t feel this ridge under my feet.”source ↗