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Why does nobody talk about using a heat gun to fix a bad vinyl plank seam?
I had a job in Springfield where a few planks in the middle of a room just wouldn't lock tight, leaving a tiny gap you could feel with your fingernail. Out of ideas, I tried warming the locking edge with my heat gun for about 5 seconds on low, then pressing it together hard with a tapping block, and it clicked right in. Has anyone else tried this trick on a stubborn click floor?
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skyler_kelly696mo ago
That sounds like a great way to soften the locking mechanism permanently. Heat can warp the plastic tongue, so it might click today but fail later when the material cools and shrinks back. Usually a gap like that means the subfloor isn't flat, and forcing it just moves the problem somewhere else. Better to pull up a few rows and check for high spots with a long level. Fixing the cause is slower, but it actually lasts.
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the_riley6mo ago
Exactly! Skyler_kelly69 is totally right about the subfloor being the real issue. Forcing a bad joint just makes the next board even harder to lock in properly. You end up chasing the problem down the whole row instead of fixing the root cause.
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wood.jana6mo ago
Skyler_kelly69 is right to be careful, but saying heat will "soften the locking mechanism permanently" is a bit off. Modern vinyl plank locking systems are made of PVC or a similar polymer. You aren't melting it, you're just making it a bit more flexible for a moment so it can slide. It's like warming up a plastic zip tie to bend it, it goes back to its normal shape after. The real risk is holding the heat in one spot too long, which can cause a local warp. A quick pass on low heat is usually fine.
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