Hot take: You don't always need a full 1/4 inch gap on floating floors

I see guys in my area, like on a big job in Springfield last month, leaving a huge gap for every single floating floor install. In my experience, with a stable slab and a good underlayment, a 3/16 inch gap is often enough, especially for shorter runs under 30 feet. Following the 1/4 inch rule like it's law can make trim work a real pain for no good reason. What's the smallest gap you've gotten away with on a stable subfloor?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_ramirez2mo ago

Man, you're singing my song. I tried following that quarter-inch rule to the letter on my own place and ended up with baseboards that look like they're trying to escape the wall. On a really flat slab with a good pad, I've gone down to an eighth of an inch on a short hallway run. It's been three years and not a single peep from the floor. Guess that makes me a real flooring rebel, huh?

leor372mo ago

Agree with @sean_ramirez on this one. I've done 3/16 on plenty of glue-down LVP jobs over concrete and it's fine. The quarter-inch is just a safe blanket for the worst case, not every single install.

grayt4621d ago

Ha, "flooring rebel" - I love it. I remember getting laughed at by a supply house guy when I told him I was running 3/16 on a glue down job over a slab I'd spent two hours leveling with self leveler. Told me I'd be back in a year crying. That was four years ago. Floor's still flat as glass, not a single seam popped or click anywhere. The quarter inch rule is fine for when you're on a concrete slab that looks like a moonscape, but if you do the prep work and the subfloor's true, you can absolutely tighten that gap up a lot.