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Laying laminate wood flooring over tile is a relatively simple process that can transform the look of your space. Here are the steps to do it:
1. Prepare the tile: Ensure that the tile is clean, level, and free of any cracks or damage. Fill in any gaps or holes with a suitable filler and allow it to dry.
2. Measure and cut the laminate planks: Measure the length and width of the room and cut the planks accordingly. Leave a small gap around the edges for expansion.
3. Install an underlayment: Lay down a moisture barrier or underlayment to protect the laminate from moisture and provide cushioning.
4. Start laying the planks: Begin in one corner and lay the planks in a staggered pattern. Use spacers to maintain an even gap between the planks.
5. Continue laying the planks: Work your way across the room, adding each new row of planks. Cut the last plank in each row to fit, if necessary.
6. Trim and finish: Once all the planks are laid, remove the spacers and trim the excess underlayment. Install baseboards or trim to cover the expansion gap.
By following these steps, you can easily lay laminate wood flooring over tile and achieve a beautiful, durable floor.
Laminate wood flooring is a type of flooring that is not nailed or glued to the subfloor, making it possible to install it over various types of existing flooring, including tile. This is good news for those who want to avoid the time-consuming process of removing an old tile floor. However, there are certain conditions that need to be met in order to install laminate over tile. If the tile is in good condition, the installation process is similar to installing laminate on a bare subfloor. It is important to consider the added height of the new flooring, as it may cause issues with doorways and transitions to other floors.
Ensuring a Flat Surface for Installing Laminate Over Tile
If the tile is smooth, level, and the grout lines are not deep, it is usually possible to lay laminate directly over the tile without any extra effort. However, if the tile is uneven, has raised edges, or has wide and deep grout lines, additional steps need to be taken. One common issue with click-lock flooring occurs when there is a hump in the subfloor just under a joint in the flooring, causing the planks to separate when pressure is applied. To fix this, the floor needs to be leveled using a leveling compound. The compound is poured onto the tiles and allowed to seek its own level with the help of a screed and concrete float. Once the compound sets, the installation can proceed.
Considering the Need for Underlayment
In most cases, a moisture barrier is required when installing wood flooring to prevent moisture from damaging the flooring. If there is no moisture barrier already present under the tile, the tiles themselves usually provide enough moisture protection. It is also recommended to use an underlayment under the laminate flooring for insulation and cushioning. Most laminate underlayment materials offer both benefits, as well as moisture protection, and they are affordable. The underlayment should be installed according to the product instructions after the leveling compound has dried.
Dealing with Height Differences
The combination of underlayment and flooring can raise the floor level by 1/2 inch or more, which may cause issues at doorways and transitions to other types of flooring. To address this, it may be necessary to trim the bottoms of doors and undercut the door casing to accommodate the new flooring. Transition strips can also be used to compensate for the height difference. These strips are lengths of molding that are milled with uneven rabbets. They can be made using a table saw or custom ordered from a flooring dealer or woodworker.
Normally, when installing transition strips, you would secure them to the subfloor, which requires leaving approximately an inch of space between the two types of flooring. By keeping this in mind while laying down the laminate floor, the process of installing the transition strips becomes simple. In the event that you forget to create a gap, it may still be possible to find transition strips that can be adhered to the flooring using glue.
