Can You Lay New Flooring Over Tiles?

Can you lay new flooring over tiles? Often, yes. Hybrid, laminate and engineered timber can usually float over ceramic or porcelain tiles that are sound, well bonded and flat within the range’s installation guide, and glue-down vinyl can go over tiles once they are levelled. Loose tiles, uneven floors, wet areas and tight floor heights are the main reasons to lift them.

Flooring over tiles: a quick guide by floor type

Always follow the installation guide for your range. A floor laid outside its limits can lose its product warranty.

When can new flooring go over tiles?

Tiles make a good base when they are:

• Sound and well bonded. Tap across the floor with a screwdriver handle. A hollow, drummy sound means a tile has lost its bond. Cracked or loose tiles are fixed or lifted first.
• Flat. A floating floor follows the surface below, so humps, dips and lipped tile edges make boards flex and creak. The guide for Royal 6.5mm Premium and Royal Hybrid Pro 9mm sets a general limit of 2mm over 1 metre or 4mm over 2 metres, checked with a straight edge.
• Narrow at the grout lines. The guides for our Royal hybrid, Procore and RoyalStep laminate, AquaCore, 15/4MM and 14/2mm Oak ranges allow grout lines up to 3mm wide or deep. Wider joins are filled first.
• Clean. Grease, wax, sealers and loose grout come off first.

How much height does flooring over tiles add?

The floor rises by the new floor’s thickness plus any underlay or levelling. Check:

• Doors. Doors often need trimming. The Royal hybrid guide asks for at least a 1cm gap under each door so the floor can move.
• Skirting. Skirting or scotia covers the expansion gap and is fixed to the wall, never to the floor.
• Other rooms. Where the new floor meets carpet or tiles, a trim finishes the join, and a ramp or reducer trim bridges a step in height.
• Dishwashers and fridges. A dishwasher sitting on the old tiles can be boxed in by the higher floor in front of it, so measure the clearance under the bench. Plumbed-in appliances may need a plumber to disconnect and reconnect them.

Thinner floors help where height is tight:

When should the tiles come up?

Lift the tiles when:

• Many tiles are loose, drummy or cracked. A few can be re-fixed. Many means the bond is failing.
• The floor is too uneven to level within the height you have.
• The tiles sit on a timber floor that moves. The guides call for a firm, stable subfloor.

In an apartment, check your strata by-laws first; replacing or covering tiles with a hard floor may need approval and acoustic underlay.

If your home was built or renovated before 1990, the sheeting under old tiles, or old vinyl tiles and their adhesive, may contain asbestos. Do not lift, sand or grind them until they have been tested.

What about bathrooms and laundries?

Bathroom and laundry tiles sit on the room’s waterproofing, and lifting them can damage it. A floating floor is never laid in a shower or on a floor that falls to a floor waste. The Royal Procore and RoyalStep laminate guides rule out bathrooms, laundries and toilets, and the Royal AquaCore guide rules out bathrooms and laundries. The guide for Royal 3mm and 5mm vinyl planks says vinyl planks in bathrooms and laundries do not meet the National Construction Code and AS 3740, so they are not laid there. Where a hybrid range’s guide allows a laundry, the Royal hybrid guide calls for a full flexible silicone seal at the edges and refers to the National Construction Code. A new floor sits over the waterproofing, never instead of it.

Floating or glue-down over tiles?

Floating floors rest on underlay and a moisture barrier with an expansion gap at the edges, so they usually suit tiles best. In hybrid flooring, Royal 6.5mm Premium has a 0.5mm wear layer on a waterproof core, and Royal Hybrid Pro 9mm has a 0.7mm wear layer on a waterproof core in 1680 x 228mm boards. In laminate flooring, RoyalStep Laminate 12mm is our highest-rated laminate at AC5, and Royal Procore Laminate has extra-long boards. Our hybrid flooring installation guide and laminate installation guide explain each step.

Engineered timber can float or, where the range allows, be glued. Royal AquaCore Oak has a genuine 3mm Oak surface on a water-resistant core with a click-lock system, and Royal 15/4MM Oak is tongue and groove for floating or trowel-glued installation. Glue-down timber over tiles needs an installer experienced with timber floors. Read about floating timber floors or browse our timber flooring.

Glue-down vinyl shows grout lines and chips through thin planks, so the base must be smooth. The guide for Royal 3mm and 5mm vinyl planks says an existing floor covering is not a suitable base on its own: tiles are cleaned, abraded, primed and self-levelled with at least 3mm of compound before Royal 3mm Vinyl Plank goes down. Loose lay planks such as Karndean LooseLay Longboard are held by weight and grip, with a tackifier where Karndean’s guide calls for one, and also need a smooth base. See our vinyl flooring.

Not sure which suits your tiles? Book a free measure and quote and we will check them for you.

Do tiles on a concrete slab still need a moisture test?

Yes. Tiles and grout do not stop moisture rising through a slab, especially on the ground floor. It can cause odours and mould under a floating floor and break the bond of a glue-down floor. The Royal hybrid guide requires a 200 micron moisture barrier on all subfloors. We test concrete and timber subfloors for moisture free at the measure.

What we check at your free measure

We tap-test the tiles, check flatness and grout lines with a straight edge, test the slab for moisture, and measure heights at doors, appliances and the rooms next door. Your written quote follows within two working days and shows whether the tiles can stay. Royal Floors gives a 2 year installation warranty, and product warranties come from the manufacturer. Laying it yourself? We give advice to DIY installers, and our guide to DIY vs professional installation covers what is involved.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put hybrid flooring over tiles?

Often, yes. Hybrid floats over sound, flat, well-bonded tiles. The Royal hybrid guide allows grout lines up to 3mm wide or deep and requires a 200 micron moisture barrier first.

Can you lay vinyl planks over tiles?

Glue-down vinyl can go over tiles once they are prepared. The guide for Royal 3mm and 5mm vinyl planks calls for the tiles to be cleaned, abraded, primed and self-levelled with at least 3mm of levelling compound.

Do you need to remove tiles before laying laminate?

Not always. The Royal Procore and RoyalStep laminate guides allow fixed tiles with grout lines up to 3mm wide or deep. Loose tiles, uneven floors, wet areas and tight heights are reasons to lift them.

Can engineered timber go over tiles?

Often. The Royal 14/2mm Oak, Royal 15/4MM Oak and Royal AquaCore guides allow fixed ceramic tiles with grout lines up to 3mm. Floating timber always goes on a moisture barrier.

Get your tiled floor checked

Visit Royal Floors in Penrith, Campbelltown, Hornsby or Logan, or we can bring samples to your home. Book a free measure and quote, including a free moisture test, or call 1300 980 501.