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I have a ceramic floor in my kitchen which is installed under the cabinets also. I have been thinking about putting a laminate floor down since I hate the ceramic tiles. Can the laminate floor be installed over the tiles? It would not be possible to remove the tiles under the cabinets. Thanks for your advice.
Andrea from New York
We're installing laminate wood in different rooms of the house. The manufacturer said it would not be good for kitchens or bathrooms. There is too much moisture.
Can laminate flooring be installed over particle board?
By debbie
Yes you can. Not all flooring is or needs to be glued down.
We purchased a mobile 2 years ago, and decided to put different flooring in the living room. We started to take up the rug that is there, and noticed there are bricks down. We haven't pulled the whole rug up yet, just because we're not sure what to do next. We wanted a laminate floor put in.
The floor does feel uneven in some spots. There doesn't appear to be any particle board or wood of any type down, but we haven't pulled up the whole rug. What would you suggest our next move should be?
I would put a wood subfloor underneath to even it out, and then put the laminate
I have never heard of a mobile home having brick flooring so this is a mystery to me but perhaps the mobile home is stationary and the previous owner did something like this(?)..
Is it real brick, or a brick tile? If you get to much weight, the floor will buckle. If you remove it, you need to consider the thickness as you may end up with doors to short. Do you have a picture of it?
Can you share your thoughts about what to consider when installing the laminate flooring into the home?
By Ben
We have had "Pergo" type laminate flooring in our house for several years. My recommendation would be to buy an extra box for "repairs" and avoid using it in areas that may get wet. While technically you can replace a section of damaged laminate, the "colors" change frequently so when you do need to make a repair, chances are they won't have the exact type that you used.
The laminate looks great in the dining area and entry but has buckled around the toilet in the bathrooms due to a couple little boys with poor aim (gross) and we've had to be very careful around the showers. In the kitchen, we had a hose go out in our fridge that created a small leak and damaged the floor beyond repair (the top layer of the laminate buckled).
Since we used laminate in the entire level of the house and couldn't find a match we ended up tiling our kitchen rather than having a different type of laminate in the middle (A friend that had a similar problem due to a dog accident smack in the middle of their living room and is stuck keeping it covered with a rug).
If I were to do it again, I'd have saved up and used real tile instead in the kitchen and bathrooms.
If you do the job yourself, make sure to follow the installation instructions and leave the recommended space near the walls for expansion and contraction. We bought a small, second house and the contractor that did the updating on it left no space along either the sides of the boards or the ends and we had a lot of buckling. Portions of the flooring had to be taken up and reinstalled.
Additionally, I also agree with Stephanie, do not use laminate flooring in any room that can get wet. Some manufacturers say it is okay to install this type of flooring in kitchens, but the salesperson at a local big box store strongly recommended against using it there.
I have this type flooring in my home; it was here when I bought it. Only thing I can tell you is I'd rather have carpet. The floor is beautiful but shows everything. I could get by with vacuuming once a week when I had carpet but every day I've having to sweep. Seems every time a door is opened or someone walks in there is something else to get up. I'm a senior living with a short haired dog that always goes outside to do his thing.
Can you install a click and lock laminate wood flooring over ceramic tile?
By DW
This is something you should ask the company who manufactures the flooring. You should be able to find their customer service 800 number at their online site contact link.
I would think the grooves between the tiles underneath would cause problems with the flooring over time. They most likely will tell you that you need a smooth flooring under the laminate/wood.
Can you install a click and lock laminate wood flooring over ceramic tile?
By DW
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
We are laying laminate flooring. The flooring has a foam backing. The subfloor has some minor imperfections. How perfect does the subfloor need to be?
By Mike from Laurel, MD
The most common flooring surface that laminate flooring is installed over is the concrete slab. If the concrete slab is not flat the end result will be your laminate flooring "creaking". It is therefore vital that you check your concrete slab for flatness.
Don't think that the flooring underlay will take up too many of the dips or bumps in the slab, it won't. This really is the most important job in the whole installation process. Please take your time at this stage, it will pay dividends in the long run. Good luck. (03/22/2010)
I am not positive, but I think there is flooring mud you can use to fill those imperfections. I would think that the place you purchased the flooring from would be able to tell you what to use and how to use it. (03/23/2010)
By Ann
How do you install laminate flooring?
Betty from TX
I am in the process on putting new laminate wood floors in my kitchen. I was a little intimidated, so I went to Home Depot. I went to one of their free classes. I was the only one there and got complete 1 on 1 attention. Every silly question I had got answered. They also didn't push me to the "expensive" items. (09/25/2007)
