Installing Hardwood Floor Over Vinyl Tile

Yes as long as its secure to the floor and the floor is prepared with a type of latex moisture barrier that states that it will bond to vinyl. There are many brands and types. Its a cleaner process, too.

I'm curious how the job went. I am planning to do the same in my kitchen with real hardwood. Removing vinyl flooring can be a nightmare.

Terry, The last thing you want to do is ask someone at Home Depot or Lowes. I am a flooring professional and the box stores are a long way from mastering any aspect of flooring. You can absolutely install the wood over vinyl as long as the vinyl is adhered well and is the only layer down. The ideal scenario would be for the vinyl to come up but some old timers will tell you that full spread vinyl is actually the perfect vapor/moisture barrier.

I have done this on two bathrooms by installing prefinished oak over relatively new vinyl flooring. It is not the recommended best way for an architectural gem of a home, but for me it was a quick project that looked great in a weekend of work. I discovered that many pros will put a water resistant base layer under hardwoods in bathrooms or kitchens (roofing paper). So the vinyl just did that job for me. The hardwood materials didn't cost much so I wasn't so worried about what would happen 10 years down the road - in the mean time it was a beautiful upgrade for a few hundred bucks. I asked a flooring pro who was at the house for something else and he said it was actually a fairly common practice.

Terry, If you considere removing the vinyl tile, make sure that somebody who is qualified will do it. Because the vinyl tile and the adhesive could contain asbestos. You could contaminate your whole house with asbestos from the vinyl tile and the glue. The remediation could cost you a lot of money.

I"d check with a flooring store- do you really want to spend all the money on the material, do it the wrong way and have to redo or live with "less than perfect?" never hurts to ask a professional.

Why not consult the experts at Home Depot or your local hardware store?

Cheers,
Rose Anne

Hi Terry, I am not a floor or carpet person, just a housewife/handywoman that has tried this. DON"T do it!! You should pull up all old vinyl flooring before replacing. Takes longer, makes a bigger mess and your back will ache. But when it is done you will feel proud you did the right way the first time around. When I did this my flooring just did not lay right or look right, it was very bouncy, had to redo. I had to take everything down to subfloor to get my hardwood to lay right. You also have to think about things like threshold height and cabinet bases.

Hope this helps

Hope this helps

We covered our kitchen vinyl floor with laminate flooring and it came out great. I just made sure that it was vacuumed and washed before we covered an area. It looks wonderful and the new floor cleans up with little effort.