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Flooring upgrade from ceramic?

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.

5 Answers

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  • Tepee
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    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
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    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..

  • y
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    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.

  • 1 decade ago

    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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  • 1 decade ago

    Just lay it on top. You may have to remove any shoe molding around the baseboards.

    Just put down some kind of under layer.

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