Can You Put Laminate Over Tile? Reasons, Factors, & FAQ

Sometimes, you’re tired of dealing with tile flooring. It’s hard and cold and requires quite a bit of scrubbing to keep clean. But if you’re ready to ditch the tile, do you need to pull it up, or can you simply install laminate over the tile?

You can install laminate flooring right over tile, but there are a few factors that you need to consider beforehand. We break it all down for you here and even give you a few reasons that you should consider switching to laminate from tile if you haven’t already made your decision.

Can You Put Laminate Over Tile?

You can absolutely put laminate over tile in most situations. This means you don’t have to worry about tearing out the floor and installing new subflooring, things that can significantly raise the cost of your project.

However, while you can install laminate over tile, there are a few exceptions and things that you should check before purchasing your new laminate flooring.

Things to Check Before Putting Laminate Over Tile

Take the time to check out these four factors to ensure that you’ll have no problem installing laminate floors and that you’ll get the results that you want.

Tile Condition

If you’re replacing your tile floors because they’re not in good shape, simply hiding them below laminate floors might not be an option. There are a few reasons for this. First, if there are damaged tiles, you might not get a flush fitment for the laminate floors.

Second, damaged tiles will enable moisture to get underneath them, which means you’ll need to install another waterproof underlayment before installing the laminate.

Finally, damaged tiles can damage the laminate if it strikes it the wrong way. This means you could put in all the work to install the laminate floor, only to tear up to fix the tile and do it all over again.

While some people will install laminate flooring over damaged tiles, we don’t recommend it.

Underlayment

While you should already have a waterproof layer because you have a tile floor, that doesn’t mean you should automatically skip any potential underlayment.

Tile is hard and unforgiving, so if you want more comfort, you should put down an underlayment between the tile and the laminate. This is an optional step, but you’ll get a softer and more comfortable floor if you install an underlayment.

Floor Height

If you’re already quite close to the ceiling, you might want to reconsider adding a laminate floor on top of the tile. This is especially true if you plan on putting down an extra underlayment for added comfort.

The more layers you add, the closer you’ll push everything to the ceiling, which can be an uncomfortable experience.

Floor Leveling

This is more of an issue in older homes, but if your current tile flooring isn’t level, there’s a good chance that you’ll have trouble installing laminate floors.

However, if you’re installing the laminate floors yourself and know what you’re doing, this is a perfect opportunity to level out the floor before installing the laminate.

The biggest problem with installing laminate floors over unlevel tile is if there are dips or raised portions throughout. You should be able to install laminate floors on a sloping tile floor without any major problems, but we still recommend fixing it first.

• Related Read: How to Fix Laminate Flooring in 4 Simple Steps

Why You Might Want Laminate Over Tile

Some people love tile flooring, while others can’t stand it or just don’t want to deal with it. If you’re considering laminate flooring instead of tile, here are five different advantages of laminate.

Durability

Laminate floors are not necessarily more durable than tile floors, but if you take care of them correctly, they can last just as long. Many laminate floors can last between 50 and 75 years with proper maintenance, which means you won’t have to worry about replacing them again any time soon!

Softer

Tile is hard. Laminate can provide a softer and more comfortable surface for you to stand on. This is a big perk if you choose to cover your tiles floors with laminate. You can get an even softer surface if you install an underlayment between the tile and laminate.

Low Maintenance

Another great perk of laminate floors, especially compared to tile, is how easy they are to care for. All you need to do is sweep and mop them about once a week, and they’ll stay in great condition.

Compared to the need for scrubbing that comes with tile floors, it’s much easier to take care of laminate flooring.

Low Cost

One of the primary advantages of laminate flooring is that it isn’t expensive to install. Compared to just about any other flooring option, laminate is about as low cost as it gets.

Just keep in mind that different styles of laminate flooring will cost more than other types, so if you want a premium design or style, you still might end up exceeding your budget.

Many Designs

No matter what flooring option you’re considering, you won’t find one with quite as many designs as laminate. From colors to textures, there are so many options!

You can match the style of the room, or you can get creative and make the flooring the focal point. Laminate flooring opens up myriad design choices for you.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know that you can put your new laminate flooring right over the tile, all that’s left is for you to pick out the flooring and get started on the installation process. Installing laminate flooring is a relatively easy flooring DIY project, so try it out for yourself!

Featured Image Credit: visivastudio, Shutterstock