Laying Flooring Over Tile

When laying laminate over tile the tile must be flat you can often lay a laminate over tile without any extra effort if the tile a smooth level and there isn t much depth in the grout lines.

Laying flooring over tile.

After we decided that demoing the existing tile flooring was not an option my next task was finding a click and lock vinyl flooring product that was thick enough for use over tile floor with no potential risk for telegraphing issues telegraphing is when the vinyl flooring begins to show imperfections in the subfloor or grout lines from below the surface. There as a few issues with laying gluedown wood flooring over tile. First you have the height issues. If the grout lines in the ceramic tile are deep you ll see and feel them under sheet flooring and if you choose to install preglued vinyl tiles they won t stick.

Ceramic tile has grout joints that are uneven so if you were to install the vinyl over top you would see the grout joints underneath the vinyl. Consider installing thin floorings such as luxury vinyl laminate or tile which are possible to lay right up to the cabinets. Once the tile is leveled off your next step is to remove the toilet so that the floor can be laid under it not cut around it. The main caveat is that all vinyl formats call for a smooth subfloor including sheet vinyl vinyl tile and luxury vinyl planks and tiles.

Use a self leveling compound to fill in the grout joints. Yes you can install hardwood floors over ceramic tile but with a few exceptions. That could lead to issues with baseboard issues and door clearence issues. If you lay glue down wood on top you will add about 3 8 to the height of the floor.

Next if the tile s joints are deep you ll want regrout them to bring them flush with the tile so that the lines won t telegraph show through the vinyl floor. Removing existing tile before installing new tile is recommended however sometimes old tile can be very difficult or almost impossible to remove. If your ceramic tile has grout lines that give it texture you will need to fill those in to make your flooring completely level. Cut the planks by using the straightedge and the utility knife to fit the room.

If the original tile is still in excellent condition then it is possible to install tile over tile but the proper steps must be taken in order to complete the project correctly. The ragged edge of the flooring is then covered over with quarter round or base molding. Tile with mortar will range in height from 1 4 to 1 2. Smooth out the tile.

You ve got problems however if the tiles are uneven and have raised edges or if the grout lines are wide and deep. Then smooth out the ceramic tile before laying the vinyl.