Can Flooring Be Installed Over Tile – If you’re sick of looking at outdated ceramic tile but don’t have the time (or budget) to resurface your old floor, there are actually several types of flooring you can install directly over the tile. your old unsightly. Today I’m sharing the various types of flooring you can put on top of tiles – no demo needed!…
In an ideal world, I would have replaced the entire nasty a$$ floor in my previous fixer upper, before ever moving a single box of my possessions inside.
Can Flooring Be Installed Over Tile
Unfortunately, at the time, I was basically dead broke and had no spare change to do such a thing.
How To Install Ceramic Tile Flooring
You see… eight years ago, floating floor systems such as LVT or LVP had not yet evolved to what they are today – with an explicit use for installation over pre-existing subfloors. In fact, what I knew was my only option at the time involved the tedious and messy task of tearing down my existing floors and then paying a subcontractor a hefty premium to install a new floor.
And so… I lived with floors that I absolutely despised for about four years… that is… until I came across a click and lock flooring system that the manufacturer’s instructions said I could lay right over ceramic tile. dirty in my kitchen.
Since that discovery, I have used two other types of land in the same way during my 1980 rancher, so I thought I would use this post to show you the various options that exist for this type of ‘unconventional application.
For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As a Reward Style and Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission on sales at no extra cost to you.
How To Tile Over Existing Tiles Successfully
LVT was my first foray into the world of floating earth. As you can see in the photo above, my husband and I used luxury vinyl tiles to cover the dated ceramic tiles in the kitchen (you can read my LVT Install Tutorial here), and it made a freakin’ world of difference.
The nice thing about LVT is that it is great for areas prone to water exposure because the product is water resistant (unlike traditional hardwood). I also found the product to be super low maintenance due to the lack of grout and the inevitable dingy grout line issue that traditional tile presents.
The installation of this product is relatively easy for beginners and we were able to completely transform the look of our kitchen in a weekend.
Not all luxury vinyl tile is suitable for installation over existing tile, so you must be sure that it is explicitly stated in the manufacturer’s instructions as “suitable for installation over an existing tile subfloor” .
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If the LVT floor is not thick enough, you risk the telegraph effect where the grout lines of the ceramic tiles start to emerge from the new floor for a not so cute vibe.
Luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl plank are essentially the same product. Both are waterproof and require no grout or sealing, however luxury vinyl plank comes in longer pieces and is more ideal for a wood-like effect.
While you might think I installed tiles in my bathroom, this particular type of click and lock flooring was actually a plank….
As with LVT, you need to make sure that the luxury vinyl plank product you go with has an attached padding thick enough to avoid the risk to telegraphy. From a distance, you would never know that the floor in my bathroom (you can read more details about my bathroom here) was not actual tile.
Buckling Hardwood Flooring: Causes, Prevention, And Repairs
Two years ago, I was completely blown away when Shaw Floors came to me wanting to collaborate with me on a brand new type of engineered hardwood that can be installed over tile and hardwood subfloors like LVT or LVP.
I decided to install engineered hardwood planks in my foyer (which had super ugly ceramic tile) and in my dining room, living room and bedrooms (which had solid hardwood that looks like it comes from scratch).
What was even better about the floating wood planks is that they were both waterproof and scratch resistant. What I found even more advantageous about this product compared to LVT and LVP is that when we went to sell our house this year, we were legitimately able to boast in the MLS description that the house had hardwood floors brand new throughout.
While floating hardwood planks can be a bit more expensive than luxury vinyl products, if you have resale value in mind, this is definitely something which you must consider.
How To Install Laminate Flooring On Concrete
Due to the advanced nature of this particular product, this may just be the only hardwood option on the market that can be installed over a tile subfloor. At least, this is the only product I have come across of its kind.
While I have never personally used laminate flooring with an attached pad, it is comparable to most vinyl products in that it is easy to DIY and similar in appearance.
I would say that the biggest difference in vinyl and laminate (at least in terms of function) is that vinyl is completely synthetic and laminate is not.
Because laminate has a core consisting of wood by-products, it is not the best choice for rooms prone to water exposure such as bathrooms or kitchens.
Everything You Need To Know About Installing Laminate Flooring On Top Of Tile
In terms of appearance, however, if you go for a hardwood floor vibe, the aesthetics of the laminate can be a bit more convincing.
As with any product, you must be sure that the manufacturer has rated the product as suitable for installation on tiles. Not all laminate is created equal!
After living with LVT, LVP and floating hardwood planks for YEARS, I can personally attest that these are all very viable options and we have never had any problems with telegraphy.
With several flooring options to choose from (how technology has come so far) I hope you see now that there really are no more excuses to live with ugly tile floors!
Can You Install Carpet Over Tile Floor?
For your convenience, I have put together a selection of flooring that is acceptable to install over tiles…
If you would like to read more posts related to flooring that you can install over existing tiles, click the links below…
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It’s like having your own inner designer, life coach (and drinking buddy) for FREE. I live fabulously AF- on a budget. Today I’m sharing how we installed new vinyl plank floors over our existing ceramic tile floor with a few easy steps to make sure it was level as it should be. We used Golden Select Vinyl Plank in Smokey Barrel.
Can You Apply Epoxy On Tiles?
When things suddenly and drastically changed this spring with the pandemic and our spring break vacation was canceled, we decided to stay and tackle some home projects. We hadn’t decided whether to replace all the tiles in our basement as it seemed like a huge job since the ceramic tiles were laid directly on top of the concrete subfloor. But we also knew that we really wanted to change and fix the look in the basement as well as create a more consistent flooring option throughout the space. The old tiles were uneven, hard to clean, hard on the feet, and cold in winter. It wasn’t exactly our style or color preference.
In January I repainted all the walls white and added a wall of wallpaper. I had also bought some area rugs to cover the sturdy tiles and warm up this space, which certainly worked well as an interim measure.
But once we decided to make a change in the family room, updating the ceiling, flooring, and trim, the project just kind of snowballed to include all the common areas and hallways of the basement.
We went down to Costco right before everything really blew up in a pandemic way and bought enough boxes of Golden Select Vinyl Plank flooring (in Smokey Barrel) to tackle the entire basement floor except for the three bedrooms that had carpet in ‘reasonably good shape (and to keep things warmer in the winter). We could have also ordered Golden Select from Costco online, but we were impatient to get started!
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Before we started, we removed the wall baseboards and made sure to vacuum and clean our floors thoroughly.
I purchased this premium floor patch compound from my local hardware store and mixed it according to the package directions. Because our tile had a kind of faux-slate texture to it, we wanted to level it before installing the vinyl over the top.
I used a wide putty knife to apply the compound to the grout joints and any areas that were shallow, making sure to spread it smoothly and scrape off any excess product.
Since we had already installed vinyl plank in the family room, we lined the floorboards with that door so the line continued. We first laid out, working back from the family room door, to determine how wide our first piece should be.
Can Flooring Be Laid Over Tiles?
You can see below, where the door is open
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