Can Flooring Be Laid Over Tiles?

You are thinking of installing a new floor to refresh your kitchen, the existing floor is a tile floor but can flooring be laid over tiles?

It is possible to install many types of flooring on tiles as long as the existing tile floor is strong and flat enough. Flooring types such as Vinyl Planks, Laminate and Enginneered Hardwood can all be laid over existing tile floors. This is done by using a method of flooring installation known as the 'floating' method where the floor can be locked together using a Click & Lock installation system. However, some types of floors such as Laminate do require additional underlayment.

How to Determine if existing Tile floor is Strong Enough

To ensure that you have a good subfloor for your new floor, the existing floor should comply with these rules;

• The existing floor should be flat without any low spots or bumps, you check this by using a large spirit level.
• Your floor should not have any cracks or loose tiles. If thats the problem on only a few tiles (one or two) then dont worry its repairable.
• The existing floor needs to buy strong and secure. Using power stomp and jump on the floor, if there is no movement in the tiles then the floor is stron enough to install a new floor over it.

If only a few tiles have cracks or are loose, you can remove them with a hammer and chisel or hammer drill. After removal, you can apply concrete to the area where the tile was and level it out using a trowel.

What should I do if my existing floor is uneven or not secure?

If your floor is uneven you should take off all of the tiles from the floor completely using a hammer drill with a flat chisel drill attachment. After taking off the tiles you should inspect the subfloor. If the sub-floor is also uneven you should use self-leveling concrete to create a new level subfloor.

How to install Vinyl Plank over Tile

Vinyl Plank flooring can be installed over an existing tile floor. This is done by locking the planks together using a Click and Lock installation system. No glue is required. Some Vinyl Planks come with a pre-attached layer of underlayment to each plank and do not require additional underlayment. If your vinyl plank flooring doesn’t have that then you must buy and put down sheets of underlayment and lay your vinyl flooring on top.

Floating Method;

1. Sweep & Mop your tile floor – make sure the floor is clean, dry, and free from any dirt particles.
2. Underlayment if Needed – Lay down sheets of underlayment, this is not needed if your vinyl plank flooring has pre-attached underlayment.
3. Lock Together – Starting from the left lay down and lock the planks together using the click and lock mechanism. You can knock the planks together using a small piece of your vinyl flooring and a soft-faced rubber/plastic hammer.
4. Cut to Size – At the edges and near obstables you must cut the flooring to size. You can use a sharp stanley knife to cut some vinyl planks. Other Vinyl Planks need to be cut by saw, we recommend using an electric jigsaw. Jigsaws are also good at cutting around more complicated obstacles.
5. Leave Gaps – Make sure to leave expansion gaps of around a minium of 1/4 inch. This gives the floor space to expand as it ages.
6. FinishingTouches –
   • Install Door transition trims in Doorways where the new floor ends.
   • If there are no skirting boards or they have been removed you can install them on your new floor to hide the expansion gaps.
   • Edge finishing trims can be used to finish the edges of the floor if the skirting board method is not an option.
   • You can use Silicon to finish the edges of the floor. You can either use clear silicon or one that is the same color as your floor. Make sure to use type in order to get a clean finish.

How to Install Laminate & Enginneered Hardwood Flooring over Tile

Laminate & Engineered Hardwood can be installed over tile floors using the floating method, basically the same method as installing vinyl plank flooring over tile. The planks can be locked together using a click and lock or tongue and groove mechanism. Most Laminate and Engineered Wood planks do require you to buy rolls of underlayment and lay that down before the Laminate floor.

Can Solid Hardwood Flooring Be Laid Over Tile?

Solid Hardwood is different then other floor types, it must be fixed to the subfloor by either nailing/stapling or gluing. You can’t nail or staple Solid Hardwood to tiles therefore the only option is the Glue-On method.

We would strongly advise not doing this unless your tile floor is perfectly flat. Sometimes it’s easier to install a new 6mm plywood subfloor or take off the tiles. If you do wish to glue the solid hardwood to tiles then make sure you use a good adhesive. You can test-glue a plank the day before and see if it has held up the next day.

Take into consideration the Floor Height

Make sure to take into consideration what the floor height will be after your new floor is installed. Sometimes doors will need to be cut and floor transition strips attached to accommodate the new floor.

Conclusion

In Summary, installing new floors over tile is possible with several types of floors. However, sometimes it is better to remove the tiles if they are not good enough to be a subfloor.

Thanks for reading, you came here with the question: Can Flooring Be Laid over Tile? Hopefully, we have answered your query. Feel free to ask any questions and express your feelings about this topic in the comment section below.

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