We see this problem more than almost any other flooring issue in Utah: luxury vinyl plank that’s buckling, peaking, or pulling away from walls, all because the expansion gaps weren’t done right.
It’s frustrating because it’s entirely preventable. And it’s more common here than in most parts of the country because Utah’s climate is uniquely harsh on floating floors. Our winters are cold and brutally dry. Our summers are hot. That temperature and humidity range is wider than what most flooring manufacturers are testing for in their generic installation guides.
Let’s talk about what expansion gaps actually are, why they matter so much in our climate, and how to get them right.
What Are Expansion Gaps (and Why Do They Exist)?
Every floating floor (LVP, laminate, engineered hardwood with a click-lock system) needs room to move. These floors aren’t glued or nailed to the subfloor. They sit on top of it and “float,” which means the entire floor plane expands and contracts as temperature and humidity change.
Expansion gaps are the small spaces left between the edge of the flooring and any fixed object: walls, cabinets, door frames, columns, transitions to other rooms. They give the floor somewhere to go when it expands.
Think of it like a bridge. If you’ve ever looked at a highway overpass, you’ve seen those metal expansion joints with the gaps between sections. Same principle. Without them, the bridge would buckle in the heat. Your floor will do the same thing.
The gap gets hidden by baseboards or quarter-round trim, so you never see it in a finished installation. But it absolutely has to be there.
Why Utah’s Climate Makes This More Critical
Here’s where it gets interesting, and where a lot of installers (especially DIYers following generic YouTube tutorials) get into trouble.
Most LVP installation guides say to leave a 1/4” expansion gap. The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) publishes installation guidelines that cover gap requirements, but these are written for average climates. That’s fine for moderate climates where indoor conditions stay relatively stable year-round. Utah is not a moderate climate.
Consider what your floor goes through in a typical year:
Winter: Indoor humidity can drop to 10-20%. Temperatures in an unoccupied room (spare bedroom, basement) can sit in the low 60s or even 50s. Your LVP contracts. It gets slightly smaller.
Summer: Indoor humidity rises to 30-50% (higher if you’re running a swamp cooler, which many Utah homes still use). Temperatures climb. Your LVP expands. It gets slightly larger.
That swing is significant. The floor that contracted and pulled away from the wall in January is the same floor trying to push against the wall in July. If there’s not enough room for that movement, something has to give. And what gives is your floor.
For a deeper dive into how Utah’s climate affects all types of flooring, check out our Utah climate flooring guide.
The Most Common Expansion Gap Mistakes
Mistake 1: Not Leaving Enough Gap
This is the big one. A 1/4” gap is the bare minimum for most LVP products, and in Utah, we recommend 3/8” for any room longer than 20 feet or any area with significant temperature variation (like a walkout basement or a room with large south-facing windows).
Some homeowners or installers shave the gap down because they’re worried about it showing. Don’t. That’s what trim is for.
Mistake 2: Covering the Gap With Rigid Material
This one’s sneaky. You leave a proper gap during installation, then cover it with baseboards that are caulked to the floor, effectively eliminating the gap. Or you use rigid transition strips that are fastened to the floating floor itself instead of the subfloor.
The gap only works if the floor can actually move into it. If you seal it shut with caulk or rigid trim, you’ve defeated the purpose.
The fix: Baseboards should be attached to the wall, not the floor. Quarter-round or shoe molding should sit on top of the floor but be nailed to the baseboard, not through the flooring. There should always be a tiny bit of play.
Mistake 3: Forgetting Gaps Around Fixed Objects
Walls aren’t the only things that need gaps. Your floor also needs expansion space around:
- Kitchen islands
- Bathroom vanities (if the floor runs under or up to them)
- Door frames
- Columns and support posts
- Fireplace hearths
- Stair nosings
Every fixed object in the room is a potential pressure point. We’ve seen floors buckle specifically because the gap was perfect at the walls but nonexistent around a kitchen island.
Mistake 4: Installing in Unacclimated Conditions
LVP needs to acclimate to your home’s temperature before installation. If you store the boxes in a cold garage overnight in January and install them the same day, the planks are smaller than they’ll be at room temperature. You might think you’ve left a good gap, but once the floor warms up and expands, that gap shrinks.
Most manufacturers recommend 48 hours of acclimation at room temperature. In Utah, we’d call that the minimum. Give it the full 48, and make sure the room’s HVAC is running at normal living conditions during that time.
Signs of Expansion Problems
How do you know if your floor has an expansion gap issue? Here are the telltale signs:
Buckling or peaking. The floor lifts up in the middle of the room, creating a ridge or hump. This happens when the floor expands and has nowhere to go, so it pushes up. It’s most common in summer or when the heat kicks on.
Tenting. Similar to buckling, but more localized, usually where planks meet at a seam. The joint pushes upward, creating a tent shape.
Gaps at walls. The opposite problem, usually in winter. The floor contracts and pulls away from the wall, exposing the gap beyond what the trim covers. You’ll see a visible space between the floor and the baseboard.
Clicking or popping sounds. If your floor makes noise when you walk on it, especially crunching or clicking sounds that weren’t there before: the planks may be under pressure from insufficient expansion space.
Planks separating at seams. In dry winter months, you might see small gaps forming between planks in the middle of the floor. Some seasonal separation is normal, but large gaps (more than a credit card’s width) suggest the floor is moving more than expected.
Proper Gap Sizing for Utah
Here’s what we recommend based on years of installing LVP in the Wasatch Front climate:
Standard rooms (under 20 feet in any direction): 1/4” minimum. 3/8” is better and costs you nothing.
Large rooms or open floor plans (over 20 feet): 3/8” at all walls. For runs over 30-40 feet, you’ll likely need a transition strip mid-span to break the floor into sections. This isn’t optional; it’s physics.
Rooms with high temperature variation (sunrooms, walkout basements, rooms over unconditioned crawl spaces): 3/8” and consider a mid-room transition if the span is long.
Always check the manufacturer’s specs. Some products require more than 1/4” even in moderate climates. If the manufacturer says 3/8”, don’t go smaller just because a YouTube video said 1/4” is fine. The manufacturer knows their product. Follow their guide, then add a little extra for Utah’s climate.
Getting Transition Strips Right
Transition strips are where expansion gap planning often falls apart. A transition strip between two rooms or between flooring types needs to allow movement on both sides.
T-moldings should be attached to the subfloor via a track, not to either floor surface. Both floor edges should float freely underneath the T-molding with their own expansion gaps.
Reducer strips (where flooring meets a lower surface) follow the same rule, attached to the subfloor, not the floating floor.
Quarter-round and shoe molding should be nailed to the baseboard, not through the LVP. Use a brad nailer into the base, and let the molding rest on the floor surface without pinning it down.
This is one of the key differences between LVP and laminate installations that gets overlooked, while both are floating floors, LVP’s thermal expansion behavior differs from laminate’s moisture-driven expansion, and the gap requirements can differ between products.
What to Do If You Already Have a Problem
If your LVP is already buckling or gapping, here’s the path forward:
For buckling: The floor needs relief. Usually this means pulling the baseboards, trimming the floor edges to create a proper gap, and reinstalling the trim. It’s not a fun afternoon, but it’s far cheaper than replacing the floor. A good installer can often fix this without removing the entire floor.
For winter gaps between planks: Small seasonal gaps (hairline to 1/16”) are normal in Utah. If the gaps close back up in summer, your floor is behaving as expected. If the gaps are large or don’t close, the floor may not have been acclimated properly before installation, or the humidity in your home is too low. A whole-home humidifier can help stabilize conditions. For a full seasonal maintenance plan, see our guide on protecting floors through Utah winters.
For persistent problems: Sometimes the issue is the product itself. Cheaper LVP with thinner cores is more prone to movement issues. If you’re dealing with chronic expansion problems, it may be worth upgrading to a thicker, more dimensionally stable product. Our guide on protecting your floors through Utah winters covers ongoing maintenance strategies.
The Bottom Line
Expansion gaps aren’t exciting. Nobody picks out their flooring and says, “I can’t wait to see those gaps around the perimeter.” But they’re the difference between a floor that performs beautifully for 15-20 years and one that buckles in its first summer.
In Utah, this stuff matters more than the national average. Our climate swings are real, and they put real stress on floating floors. Getting the expansion gaps right during installation is cheap insurance against expensive problems later.
If you’re planning an LVP installation, whether DIY or professional, and you want to make sure it’s done right for Utah conditions, we’re happy to help. For realistic timelines, check out how long flooring installation takes.
Let’s Get Your LVP Installation Right
We bring samples to your home, assess your specific conditions (subfloor type, room dimensions, sun exposure, HVAC setup), and make sure the installation plan accounts for Utah’s climate realities. No surprises, no buckling floors six months later.
Book a free in-home consultation and let’s make sure your new floors are built to handle everything Utah throws at them.