If you had tiled floors in your house earlier and you are now looking forward to a renovation project, it won’t be suitable to get the tiles removed.
They possibly cost you a lot and putting them to waste would surely be very unethical. But how can you get new floors when you can’t get rid of the old ones?
An easy way to do so is to install engineered wood flooring over tile.
This way, you won’t have to remove the old tiles and can get a new floor on top of it which will give you the renovated look you desire.
Using the floating floor method, you can easily install engineered wood flooring over tile. This method won’t damage your tiles nor will it compromise the strength or the durability of your engineered wood floors.
To install engineered wood flooring over tile, clean & level tile surface, and apply moisture barrier. Then, install underlayment and lay out planks staggered by securing them with mallet. Continue row by row and apply a protective finish for the final touch.
There is a lot more to be discussed in detail here, so make sure you don’t miss out on all the fun!
Table of Contents
Is It Possible To Install Engineered Wood Flooring Over Tile?
If the required conditions are met, and the tiles have not sustained much damage, it is easily possible to install engineered wood floors over your tile floors.
Usually, ceramic tiles are installed in houses, and over time, they can receive extensive amounts of damage.
This can lead to an unwanted and damaged appearance of the floors, which might make the entire room’s appearance degraded.
Therefore, you will need to have the floors repaired or replaced.
Another situation is where the floors have not received much damage, but you are willing to renovate the area and reform the overall appearance so that the room can get a newer look and a better vibe.
For both of these situations, extracting the tiles and preparing the subfloor for the process can be a very long and taxing procedure.
You would need the help of professionals to do so; otherwise, you might end up getting the floors damaged, and they won’t give you the value you expect.
However, there is an easy method to solve this problem. If you want a wooden appearance, you can install your engineered wood on top of the tiles without any significant issues.
This will save you a lot of time, effort, and money.
You won’t need to hire any professionals for this job as engineered wood is usually installed using DIY methods, and the tiles’ extraction is no longer necessary.
As far as the condition of the tiles is concerned, you can also mend that with a few simple tips if the damage is not too extensive.
Therefore, this process is highly suitable if you have similar goals and want to install engineered wood over tile.
Conditions That Need To Be Met Before Installing Engineered Wood Flooring Over Tile
Before you can start the process, certain conditions must be met. If these requirements are not fulfilled, you might get your floors damaged.
Besides, it will be hard to install the floors on the tiles if these terms are not accepted.
Therefore, it is best to know them beforehand so you do not have to worry about them later. Let’s have a look at some essential aspects of this project.
Condition of The Tiles
The state that your tiles are in matters a lot when planning to install engineered wood on top of it.
You must understand that wooden planks can not be installed on tiled floors if the tiles are damaged.
Most of the engineered wood floorings are installed using adhesives or floating floor methods; this is important to note as both of these would not work if the condition of the tiles is worse.
As the tiles will serve as a platform for the engineered wood, they will not be considered as the subfloor for the wooden planks.
Therefore, any cracks, breakage, or gaps in the subfloor will question the stability of the entire platform.
You must move to resolve these issues beforehand so you do not have to face difficulties and damages afterward.
Hence, either you get these repaired to drop the idea of installing the wood planks on the tile.
You should opt for repairing if the issues are only minor. However, if the problems are much more extensive, it is better that you move towards replacement as that would be much more economical for you.
Fill In Grout Lines
Whether you are getting the planks installed on porcelain or concrete tiles, grooves and seams in the adjoining spaces can be uneven, which may result in the accumulation of dirt and debris.
These are also a source of many problems as these spaces can accumulate a lot of dirt and debris and often give the best environments for molds and mildew to grow.
Therefore, if you want to avoid these, you will have to level them with the rest of the surface of the tiled floors.
Firstly, ensure they are clean before administering any leveling method so the dirt or debris does not get trapped under the surface. Here are two easy ways you can achieve this goal.
The first method is a very easy one, but it requires some preparation.
This is highly fruitful if you do not plan on using the tile floors again and do not care if they won’t look the same again.
All you need to do is fill all the grooves with a leveling compound.
Used to fill cavities and cracks, this is an optimum way to ensure the grooves are gone.
Prepare the compound according to the instructions and fill it into the grout lines. Remove any excess with a cloth and wait for them to dry.
However, if you want to keep the tiled floors in a preserved condition and plan on using them anywhere, it is best to get an underlayment for the feet.
This will ensure that all unevenness is hidden underneath the surface and is not exerted on the engineered wood.
It might cost a bit more, but it is a more straightforward solution that guarantees the entire floor a level throughout the surface.
If you avoid this step, the wooden planks might settle into these seams, and your entire flooring structure will get uneven once it takes a certain amount of traffic.
Clean Floors
You can’t expect to install the engineered wood on dirty and dirt–ridden floors.
Therefore, it is necessary that you clean the floors thoroughly if you want the planks to remain in their best possible health.
Whether you are using an underlayment or not, it is necessary that you thoroughly clean the floors before any type of installation.
The dust can cause scratching on the engineered wood subfloors, cause troubles during installation, and might lead to further problems once the vinyl planks have been installed.
Therefore, a simple vacuuming session followed by wet-mopping with a suitable detergent would be good enough to make the floors clean and prevent any further unwanted materials on the surface of the tiled floors.
Moreover, it is crucial that you remove any furniture or other items from the floors so you don’t have to stop during the installation process.
You can move on to the next step once the floors are clean and clear of any objects.
Removing Baseboards
If you have baseboards installed for your previous flooring, you must remove them to install the engineered wood efficiently.
You can reinstall the same baseboards after the new floors have been installed. Therefore, no need to worry about removing them unnecessarily.
However, if they are damaged or do not complement the texture of the engineered wood floors, you might need to get new baseboards that match the existing flooring.
Removing the baseboards is pretty simple as they are only attached to the wall using an adhesive.
A utility knife would be good enough to remove them but don’t give too much pressure, or you might end up breaking them.
Another helpful method is to cut the seal of the baseboard, which attaches to the wall using a baseboard.
Once this is done, you can use your hands, a putty knife, or a pry bar, in the worst cases, to separate it from the wall.
However, ensure not to put too much pressure, or you may damage the walls and baseboards.
If you do this process slowly and carefully, you will not face significant problems while reinstalling them on the walls.
Check The Grade of Installation
First, you must check if the floors were installed above grade, on grade, or below grade.
The grade is the ground level, and the floors can be either on ground level, above it, or below it.
However, this factor dramatically matters as the engineered wood floors can not be installed in the below-grade areas.
The main reason is the excessive moisture which damages the wooden flooring over time.
Even though it has undergone treatments and will be finished with a sealant, the wood does not have enough resistance against water to hold off the water content without damage.
Therefore, you must check these factors beforehand.
Similarly, you can’t install engineered wood in bathrooms or other areas with a high moisture level generally.
Look Out For Moisture
As mentioned above, moisture is unsuitable for engineered wood, and any area with excessive water is not recommended.
Therefore, using moisture meters, you must check the amount of moisture in the area beforehand.
If the moisture is too high, you need to take a step back from this installation process, as there is a high chance that you will get your boards ruined in a very short time.
However, if you live in a dry area that does not have as much moisture, you might be able to carry out this process even below grade.
But make sure to factor in seasonal changes and moisture ratings in your area throughout the year.
Install Engineered Wood Flooring Over Tile | The Complete Process
You can quickly start the installation if you have done all the above steps and met the required conditions.
This won’t be too long and will not take too much effort, as installing engineered hardwood has always been easy.
However, if you do not have ample knowledge about this type of installation but do not know where to start, we’ve got you covered.
Follow the method below, and you can install the floors easily.
Factor In Door Jambs
When you install any flooring over an existing floor, the height increases. This can cause the door jambs to cause problems during installation as there isn’t enough space under them to install a plank.
Similarly, if the door gets stuck, you must trim it for smooth motion. Follow the easy process below to solve this problem once and for all.
- Check the height of the engineered wood plank and note it down.
- Add their height to get a collective figure if you use any underlayments.
- Add 0.5 – 0.75 inches to this figure.
- Mark the area and shorten the doors to that point. You might need to unhinge the doors and use a saw to perform this task efficiently.
- Sand it down afterward and use lacquer to restore the original appearance.
Repeat the same process for the door jambs if you extend the flooring to the outer area.
Install The Planks
Now that you are done with everything necessary, install the planks to prepare your floors. A floating floor is the only suitable option, as gluing or nailing does not work against tiles.
Usually, the floating floors have tongue and groove joints fixed into other planks to create a stable and reliable platform.
This is way better and more reliable than the glue-down options, as the tile surface might not offer excellent adhesion to the engineered wood.
Besides, this process is much easier to execute, more reliable, and less expensive as you do not have to buy any adhesives, screws or nails, as in other installation methods.
The installation process is as follows:
- Firstly, place the planks according to their desired arrangement and ensure you have the right order.
- Cut the extra length of the planks to fit in cheeky spaces and corners.
- Once they have been laid down on the floors, start from the farthest end.
- Take the wooden plank with the long and short side design and click them together to form a firm grip.
- Press the lock firmly to fix it into its place.
- If you feel it is loose, place a block of wood along the plank.
- Then hammer the block lightly to push the plank into the other one.
- Repeat this process and work in rows.
Once all this is done, use a weighted roller to ensure no plank is lifted from the surface and the floors are level.
This concludes the installation process of engineered wood flooring over tile.
Final Words
Engineered wood flooring over tile is a very reasonable idea if the tile is in decent condition. Therefore, make sure to not install the wooden floors if the tile is severely damaged.
However, if the tiles meet the required conditions and all other factors are met, you can easily install the floors using the method above.
Make sure to follow the guide precisely to get the best results and prevent any failures in the procedure.
Let us know if you liked the DIY method and what challenges you had to face during it.
John Henry is a passionate co-creator of FlooringFlow.com. a website dedicated to answer all of your flooring related questions. After taking the challenges of flooring DIYs while learning skills for years, John is now ready to share his knowledge related to floor remodeling and projects with you.
