Are there any types of flooring that can be installed over ceramic tile?
Question:I am redoing my very tiny half bath that has tile flooring. I don't like the color of the tile(maybe hate is a good word) so it has got to go. Since the bathroom is so small, cost isn't an issue but time is. I want to know if there is any flooring that can be installed over the tile and be durable and lasting. Or am I going to have to rip it up? Thanks for your help!
Answers:
My husband & I just recently had this EXACT issue! We completed the project about 5 months ago and it is doing fine. The solution? We purchased laminate flooring that required the underlayment foam-it's like a thin sponge that comes in a 100sf roll for about $25. We felt that the separate spongy layer would be a good barrier between the tile and the laminate. Some higher end laminates do not require the insulating layer; it is built in. I can't attest for whether that would work as well. The laminate we chose was a light oak and was only about $1.99 per sf. You can find products that cost even less and there are higher end products as well. We took the chance and went right over the tile with it. It looks great and it is our main bath so it gets used all the time - no problem with durability. The laminate comes in tons of designs from various woodgrain colors to tile looks and even slate looks. Ours blends with a new sink base. There are products with special profiles to handle doorways (saddles) so that the transition out of the bath works out for you. We too, dreaded ripping up the tile so this was a great fix with a wonderful result! Good Luck - we get lots of compliments on it!
Rip it up. Because of ceramic tiles uneven finish it doesn't allow for the installation of other types of flooring unless your thinking about some types of indoor outdoor carpeting. Even then because of the glaze of the ceramic tile, adhesives will fail to hold carpeting in place over a period of time. Best thing to do is remove the tile, then re install your desired flooring. It will look clean and serve you for many years to come.
although you could smooth it out and glue something over it, you really ought to rip it out. that eliminates future separation problems and will give you a better fit around fixutures, at doorway and baseboards, etc.
The response on laminate flooring is right on the money. Laminate flooring is also referred to as "floating floor". It has foam under it, and works on most surfaces. We put ours on unlevel floors in an old house, and they covered all the imperfections and looked beautiful. They are available in a lot of colors, and are very reasonable. We bought ours at Sam's Club.
A floating floor. It's snap together wood flooring. It has a roll out insulation type fabric between the ceramic and the wood floor, we have it.
tongue and groove flooring can be put down using a trowl on adhesive over any surface
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