I have a ceramic tile floor in the lower level of my house. What would I have to do to put hardwood down on top of it. Taking the tile out seems like a real pain. It is really hard to keep clean especially the grout. Any other suggestions on what type of flooring might work in a walk out basement to a lake.
Tepee
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You can install a laminate hardwood floor over the existing ceramic tiles without ruining it in case you or someone else wants to change back in the future. A laminate floor would not be attached to the ceramic since it is free-floating on a cushion of thin foam backing. Another possibility is Allure which is a Home Depot product that is available in many styles and it can be used in a damp environment. Sheet vinyl or linoleum would distort over the grout lines of your existing floors so they wouldn't be a good option. Good luck on your choice.
Bilbo
You could lay hardwood strip loose over tile on top of an underlay.
If it was me I would use latex levelling screed to fill all the joints and then use a really good wood effect vinyl (eg Amtico) - much better value than timber and less liable to damage from the pool..
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You could always go with linoleum or the vinyl tile stuff. For a floor that will be exposed to water the ceramic tiles or stone tiles are probably the best.
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I'm with the Amtico suggestion -it is virtually indestructable, unlike any real wood floor or cheaper laminate, and the wood-effect Amtico's are 100% realistic, so the only way to tell the difference after a few years will be that the wood will be scratched, chipped and probably stained. The Amtico won't.
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Just lay it on top. You may have to remove any shoe molding around the baseboards.
Just put down some kind of under layer.