This is the most complete guide on the query “can you put laminate flooring over tile” where our experts have discussed a quick, easy & effective step-by-step process.
There are various flooring options that you can choose to make your floor look fantastic. In addition, to look, there is another factor that you have to keep in mind, and that is functionalities and durability.
Tile flooring is one of the most popular and traditional choices. This is something that looks good in all settings. On the other hand, there is laminate or vinyl flooring, which has also made its fanbase among the homeowners.
There are several DIY methods that talk about the installation of flooring, and we have discussed it already. Here, in this well-researched detailed guide, we are going to discuss something else.
If the tile flooring in your home or office is old and in need of replacement, you may be wondering if laminate can be installed on top of it. When it comes down to it, breaking up tile takes a lot of time.
We have noticed that people who already have tile flooring in their house want the laminate floor to be installed. This seems to be a professional job, right? Well, we have DIY methods explained for this one as well.
Can you put laminate flooring over tile? The answer is yes. However, there are a few methods and considerations that you have to keep in mind to perform this successfully. Are you looking for a perfect guide with quick and easy steps to shine your laminate flooring? by yourself then you can read our guide on it.
Considerations Before Installing Laminate Flooring Over Tile Floors
Loose-lay vinyl or laminate flooring and flooring are two types of floating floors that are not fastened to the subfloor. The click-and-lock or tongue-and-groove construction design of floating floorboards ensures that the planks may interlock with one other and stay in place.
In some cases, you may desire to put a laminate floor over your existing tile floor due to aesthetical reasons. Here, you should consider some points:
Installation Method
The laminate installation method is the first item to think about. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that new floors be glued down rather than snapped together or clicked together.
Some scenarios necessitate the use of glue to secure laminate flooring to the subfloor. Laminate flooring is often installed using the snap-lock system, which includes snapping interlocking laminate planks together.
The glue-down method may not necessarily produce the best results when placing laminate over tile, although both procedures include similar stages. We have also prepared a comprehensive guide on is laminate flooring harmful.
Conditions Of The Tile
If the tile is in good condition, you can place laminate flooring on top of the tiles. You should not use them if they are cracked or loose. You can also implement a leveling compound throughout the entire length of the tile to even it out before laying down the laminate if the previous tiles are uneven.
Height Of The Floor
Door thresholds, flooring transitions, and appliances will all have to be taken into account when you increase the floor height of your home.
As a result, the only type of prefinished engineered wood or laminate that will work is a thin version. The reason for this is that they are bonded, floated, or have a click-and-lock mechanism.
A 3/8-inch space around the perimeter is also necessary when installing laminate flooring over a tile to allow for fit under baseboards and molding.
Underlayment and flooring can raise the floor level by up to half an inch, which is found in doorways and where one type of flooring transitions to another type of floor.
To make the flooring fit, you may need to remove some of the material from the bottom and undercut of the door casing.
Transition strips, in the length of molding milled with irregular rabbets to compensate for the height variation, are used in most circumstances.
Table saws can be used to grind these. Follow DIY to finish them by yourself if you’d prefer. Flooring dealers and woodworkers can also make them for you.
In most cases, the transition strips are nailed to the subfloor, which necessitates a space between the two types of floor of about an inch.
Transition strips can be quickly and easily installed by keeping this in mind while laying the laminate floor. There are glue-on transition strips that can be used if you neglect to leave a gap in the flooring.
Underlayment
A moisture barrier can be assumed to be under the layer of tile, and if it isn’t, the tiles themselves serve as a moisture barrier. The underlayment provides warmth underfoot, acoustics, and more excellent moisture protection under the laminate flooring.
Once any leveling compound has cured, lay the underlayment. A separate underlayment is not required if the laminate floor already has an underlayment.
You Might Also Find This Guide Helpful On: Get Rid Of Ugly Bubbles On Laminate Floorings
Can You Put Laminate Flooring Over Tile? [Is It Okay?]
Before placing your desired sort of floating floor, you’ll need to remove the old tile. This is an expensive and time-consuming process.
As a result, it is often more cost-effective and convenient to simply install the floating flooring over the existing tile. Floating floorboards can’t be installed correctly if the current tiling is loose or broken; therefore, this is the first step in the process.
Let’s have a look at your options to see if we can answer this question. With laminate, you may either remove the floor and then perform the installation on the top of it, or you can simply resurface the floor.
When it comes to high-end flooring, a tile floor is one of the most difficult to remove. It’s possible that you’ll need to engage a contractor if you’re resurfacing a significant area.
All of this adds up to a time-consuming and labor-intensive project that is also pricey. If you’re doing the resurfacing yourself, cutting expenses is usually always the only consideration.
Putting laminate on top of tile rather than taking out the tile and installing laminate is a better option. This is especially true given that the structural and aesthetic effects of your project of floor resurfacing will not be affected by either option.
Why Type Of Laminate Can Be Used Over Tiles
Choosing a flooring option that is suitable with ceramic tiles is not enough; you must also consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option in order to make an informed decision. The comparison excludes the ceramic tile because the flooring is being placed on top of it.
Cork Floor
For bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas where water is likely to be spilled, cork is an excellent alternative to ceramic tile. Bathrooms and kitchens are two examples.
Cork is called the most water-resistant of the materials described in the article. Aside from bathroom flooring, it has a lot of downsides to being used elsewhere.
Therefore, whether or not this flooring is better than tile relies only on where you intend to install it.
Flooring Made With Laminate
Laminate flooring’s low cost is one of its many benefits. Contrast that with hardwood floors, which demand a premium price tag. As with hardwood floors, stains don’t show up as readily on laminate flooring.
This means that laminate flooring has all of the benefits of a hardwood floor while being less durable, costing less, is made of thinner planks, and is easy to install one’s one’s self.
Flooring Made Of Wood
The underlayment must take into account patch-leveling and stickiness if hardwood flooring is to be laid over ceramic tile. In addition to the hardwood’s thickness, plywood serves as an underlayment.
Keep Reading: Detailed Guide On Caulking Among Baseboards & Laminate Floorings
What Type Of Laminate You Can’t Use On Tiles
There are some products of laminate and vinyl plank that can be laid over tile, and there are others that can’t be. For example, Burke Flooring Luxury Tile is an incredible product that provides an unmatched assortment of gorgeous and helpful flooring everywhere that blends both beauty and functionality.
Moreover, it is cost-effective and long-lasting. It’s not the right option if you want to put a vinyl plank on top of the tile.
For this flooring to look its best, the subfloor must be solid, finished to a flat, level surface, and clear of any foreign contaminants such as paint, dust, or grease or oil or solvents, or curing or parting chemicals or sealers or previous adhesive residue.
This product is best suited for a clean wood or concrete subfloor.
What About Stick And Peel Floor?
Peel-and-stick tiling can be applied to a variety of preexisting surfaces, including tile. However, a tile-on-tie installation necessitates that the existing tiled surface is adequately prepared.
In order to get the best adhesion from the peel-and-stick vinyl tiles, it is necessary to clean the floor thoroughly.
Make sure that the existing tile flooring is even, as the process of installing peel-and-stick flooring causes holes in the floor structure if it is tried over uneven floors generally.
Process Of Installing Laminate Over Tile
Prepare your tile floor before installing the laminate on top of it. Gathering the essential materials and equipment and preparing the floor area are two separate components of this preparation.
What kind of underlayment to use and how the laminate boards should be cut are just two examples of considerations that must be made. Step by step, we’ll go over each part of the process one at a time.
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Important Tools & Materials
To make the laminate plank be successfully implanted on your tile floor, you must keep yourself equipped with some tools. DIY projects are all about tools and techniques that people must follow.
The professionals do use several tools, and to give it a perfect finish, you also need some of those tools. Here is the list that you need to save and purchase before you start the job:
- An optional hammer can be used to remove a few damaged or uneven tiles.
- In the vicinity of the laser/bubble.
- The leveling agent (such as thin-set).
- Chisel ( this is optional, and the reason is the same as a hammer).
- Something to be used for mopping up spills.
- Jamb saw.
- Cutting using a jigsaw or table saw (based on your room’s shape).
Preparing The Surface
Depending on the tile’s condition, the breadth of your prep will vary widely. In most cases, you simply need to remove the foundation around the edge of the floor and then sweep it if the tiles are secure and level.
Using a chisel and hammer, remove any tiles that dip or protrude more than 1.6 mm from the rest of the floor, and then fill in the void with a thin-set.
In other cases, you may require to remove the entire floor before putting laminate if it is broken or uneven. A bubble level is the most accurate tool for determining if a floor is a level.
There is no difference in precision between the two tools, so you can use what you have on hand.
Selecting The Right Underlay
Anyone who has laid laminate knows that using underlay is a must when doing so. Laminate over tile can be tricky since you may want to skip this step because the old tiles will keep the new one dry.
Even if you’re installing laminate over tile, you’ll still require an underlayment because the old floor cannot adequately protect against moisture.
To make matters worse, your existing tile may not provide the insulation and acoustics that an underlay can provide. You can get away with a simple 3 mm option for underlay.
Instead of merely providing basic sound reduction, many other typical underlayments lack a moisture/water vapor barrier; nevertheless, this particular alternative does just that.
It’s also lined with sound-absorbing foam, which helps with the room’s sound quality. For added convenience, some laminate flooring includes pre-installed underlayment.
You don’t have to buy an additional underlayment if yours already has one installed.
Keep Reading: Solution For Floor Stickiness After Mopping
Cutting The Laminate
Only a non-square or non-rectangular space will most likely require this if you plan to lay laminate flooring. As you lay the planks, you’ll have to cut around doorframes and cabinets.
For “ripping,” use a table saw, or circular saw instead of a jigsaw. Installing laminate over a tile floor will cause it to sit at a higher level than your door casings because of its thickness, which is typically 14 to 13 inches.
To resolve this problem, use a jamb-saw to remove the underneath of the door casing and then install the laminate on top of it.
Installing The Laminate
Post to the preparation and getting the materials and tools, and it is time to install the laminate. Here are the steps to install the same success on your tile floor.
- Ensure your tile floor is clean and ready for paint by inspecting it and following the instructions in the “preparing the surface” section.
- Check the manufacturer’s specifications for the laminate planks’ thickness. Determine if placing them on top of an existing floor tile will considerably lower room and entryways’ heights.
- Consider removing the tile floor or using thinner laminate prior to installing your new laminate floor if the effect is considerable.
- Apply a leveling product, such as a thin-set, to the tile floor. Even if your existing tile floor is level, you should still do this. Even on a flat tile floor, there will be troughs and probably deep grout lines. Both need to be leveled before the laminate boards can be installed.
- The underlayment must be installed. You can skip this step if your boards have already been put with underlay.
- Lay the laminate on top of the underlay. Floorboards should be staggered for curb appeal and structural integrity. Randomly cutting the laminate ensures that the plank joints in neighboring rows do not coincide with one other.
Few Words Before Wrapping Up…
Installing laminate over the tile floor is not as easy as the installation of one regular floor. As there is already a preexisting floor, you need to be extra cautious while trying with this one.
Check out the type of laminate you can use on tiles and types you can’t. This will help you purchase the right type of laminate in the first place. Otherwise, your investment will go in vain.
The second important thing is the tools. You will need several tools to install laminate on a tile floor. We have prepared a list to help you out. Get those handy before you start the process.
Follow the instructions provided here to make the installation process a success. Please don’t skip any step because each of them is important. We hope this detailed guide on your query “can you put laminate flooring over tile” was helpful and solved your doubt.
As you are not a professional and you are choosing DIY for installing laminate over a tile floor, the instructions are imperative to follow. If you are not confident about performing the job, it is better to call a professional. All the best!
