Laminate and vinyl plank floor repair

Usually, yes, though it depends on where it sits. A plank near the edge of a room is straightforward. One in the middle means either working back to it from the nearest wall or cutting it out and refitting a replacement, which is a more skilled job but entirely doable. The bigger constraint is whether we can match the plank, so keep any spares from the original installation.

Almost always because the subfloor beneath it is not flat there. A floating floor spans a low spot rather than following it, so when you step on that area the planks deflect into the void and you hear a hollow click. The fix is to address the subfloor flatness under that area, not to do anything to the planks, which are behaving normally.

Nearly always an expansion problem. A floating floor has to be able to grow and shrink as a whole sheet, which is why it needs a gap around the entire perimeter hidden under the trim. If that gap is too small, or something is pinning the floor down, the floor has nowhere to expand and it lifts. The repair starts at the perimeter, not the buckle.

If it floats, broadly yes, because the same click-joint and expansion principles apply. Glue-down vinyl is a different proposition, where the usual failure is the adhesive bond releasing in an area, frequently because of moisture coming up from below. That needs the moisture source addressed before anything is re-bonded, or it will simply release again.

They make noise, but it is a different noise from a different cause. A nailed hardwood floor groans as boards work against fasteners. A floating floor ticks or clicks as planks move against each other at a separated joint, or sounds hollow where it bridges an uneven subfloor. Knowing which sound you have tells us a lot before we arrive.