Can vinyl plank go over existing tile or wood?

Why people want to go over the old floor

Tearing out old tile is loud, dusty and slow. Pulling up hardwood means dealing with nails and staples. Laying vinyl plank on top skips all of that and keeps the mess down, which matters when you’re living in the house. The good news is that vinyl plank is one of the floors that can go over an existing floor in the right conditions. The key is making sure the old floor is a good base.

Going over tile

Vinyl plank can go over ceramic or porcelain tile if the tile is:

• Tight. Tap across the floor. A hollow sound can mean tiles have come loose from the floor below.
• Not cracked in lines. A crack that runs across several tiles can point to movement in the floor underneath, and that movement will show through.
• Close to flat. Lippage, where one tile edge sits higher than the next, can telegraph through thinner planks.

Grout lines are the other issue. Wide or deep grout lines can show through over time as faint lines in the vinyl, especially with thinner planks. We usually skim the tile with a floor patch or leveling compound to fill the grout lines flush. Thicker, rigid-core planks bridge small grout lines better, but filling them is still good practice.

Going over wood

Vinyl plank can go over hardwood or a wood subfloor if the wood is solid and flat. Before we lay anything, we:

• Screw down loose or squeaky boards so they don’t move under the new floor.
• Sand or plane high spots and cupped boards.
• Fill low spots and gaps.
• Check for any soft or water-damaged areas, especially near bathrooms, kitchens and exterior doors.

One thing to think about: if you have real hardwood under old carpet or in good shape, it may be worth refinishing instead of covering. We’ll tell you if we think you’re covering something worth keeping.

When the old floor should come up

• Carpet or carpet pad. Vinyl plank needs a hard, flat surface. Carpet always comes out.
• Soft, spongy or rotted subfloor. That has to be fixed, not covered.
• Loose, cracked or drummy tile over a big area. It will keep moving under the new floor.
• Too much height. If the floor gets too high where it meets another room or a stair, it’s often better to remove the old layer.
• Old sheet vinyl or tile that may contain asbestos. Some older flooring and adhesives can. Covering it in place is sometimes the safer choice, but have it tested before anyone cuts or scrapes it.

The height question

Every layer adds height. Going over tile might raise the floor enough to matter in a few places:

• Doors may need to be trimmed at the bottom so they swing over the new floor.
• Transitions to the next room need a reducer, a sloped trim piece, so there’s no trip edge.
• Dishwashers and appliances can get boxed in if the floor goes in around them instead of under them.
• Stairs need the top and bottom step heights to stay even, which can get tricky if you only raise one floor.
• Baseboard often needs to come off and go back on, or be replaced, so the edge of the floor is covered neatly.

Is it worth going over just to save time?

Going over a sound floor is a smart shortcut. Going over a problem floor only hides it for a while. If the old tile cracked because the floor underneath flexes, the vinyl will eventually show it too, with joints that pop or planks that pull apart. Fixing or removing a bad floor now is easier than redoing a new one later.

How we decide

We check the old floor with a straightedge, tap the tile, walk the wood for soft spots and squeaks, and measure the height at doors and transitions. Then we tell you straight whether going over it will hold up or whether removal makes more sense, and the written price shows the prep work as its own line, along with a start date and how long the job will take.

You can see how we lay and trim it out on our vinyl plank flooring page, or call 631-745-9982.