Can you lay laminate over tiles?
By Eli Gjoka · Updated
Short answer
Yes, in many cases. Most laminate manufacturers allow a floating laminate floor over existing ceramic tiles, as long as the tiles are firmly stuck down, flat enough and dry, and you use the right damp-proof underlay. The tiles have to be checked first: loose or hollow tiles, deep grout lines and uneven floors cause problems, and standard laminate shouldn't go in bathrooms at all.
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What the manufacturers say
Egger lists ceramic tiles as a suitable base for its floating laminate, and Kronotex lists dry ceramics. Pergo allows its laminate over an existing floor as long as it's solid and self-supporting. So the answer isn't whether tiles are allowed, but whether your tiles are in a good enough state.
1. The tiles must be firmly fixed
Tap across the floor with a screwdriver handle or a coin. A hollow sound means a tile has come loose from the floor underneath. Loose or cracked tiles need fixing or removing first, because they'll move under the new floor and can crack or rock.
2. The floor must be flat enough
Laminate needs a flat surface so the click joints stay tight. Manufacturers set their own limits, for example:
- Quick-Step: no unevenness of more than 4mm over 2 metres, or 1mm over 20cm
- Egger: no more than 2mm over 1 metre
- Kronotex and Krono Original: high spots over 3mm per metre must be ground down and low spots filled
The 20cm rule is the one that catches grout lines. Wide or deep grout lines and lipping between tiles may need filling or a levelling compound before the laminate goes down.
3. Use a damp-proof underlay
Tiles are usually laid on a concrete or screed floor, and that floor can still give off moisture. Manufacturers ask for a damp-proof membrane or a damp-proof underlay over mineral floors: Egger specifies a vapour barrier film over the whole floor and up the wall, and Quick-Step's instructions say to always use a damp-proof underlay. The tiles alone aren't treated as a barrier.
4. Leave the expansion gap
Laminate moves with temperature and humidity, so it needs a gap around the edges, hidden later by skirting or beading. The size depends on the product: figures in manufacturers' instructions range from about 5mm to 15mm. Use the gap stated for your laminate.
5. Check door heights and thresholds
Laminate and underlay together add height on top of the tiles. Check that doors will still open, as Quick-Step asks for at least a 1mm gap under doors after fitting, and plan how the floor meets the next room, appliance plinths in a kitchen, and any stair nosing. Doors often need trimming, and thresholds need a suitable trim.
6. Underfloor heating under the tiles
If the tiles sit over underfloor heating, the new floor has to suit it. Manufacturers set a maximum floor surface temperature of between 26°C and 28°C depending on the brand, and Quick-Step also limits the total thermal resistance of the floor and underlay. The heating may need adjusting, and the underlay must be one the manufacturer approves for heating.
Where not to do it
Standard laminate shouldn't go in bathrooms, wet rooms or rooms with floor drains, whether it's over tiles or not. Kronotex, Egger and Krono Original all exclude bathrooms for their standard ranges, and even Quick-Step's water-resistant laminate excludes showers and rooms with floor drains. In those rooms, LVT is usually the better option.
Lay over the tiles or lift them?
Leaving the tiles saves the mess of lifting them and can save work on the floor underneath. Lifting them makes sense if many tiles are loose, the floor is very uneven, the extra height causes problems with doors or the next room, or you're refitting a kitchen anyway. A fitter can usually tell which applies after tapping and measuring the floor.
Planning work like this?
Eli comes to see the job for free and gives you a written, fixed-price quote.
Common questions
Do I need to remove tiles before laying laminate?
Not always. If the tiles are firmly fixed, flat enough and dry, laminate can usually float over them with a damp-proof underlay.
What goes between tiles and laminate?
A damp-proof membrane or damp-proof underlay approved by the laminate manufacturer.
Do grout lines need filling?
If they're wide or deep enough to break the manufacturer's flatness limit, yes, usually with a levelling compound.
Can I lay laminate over bathroom tiles?
Standard laminate shouldn't go in a bathroom. LVT or a laminate rated for bathrooms is a better choice, and showers and wet rooms are excluded either way.
Can you lay vinyl or LVT over tiles?
Often, yes, but thin vinyl and LVT can show grout lines through them, so the floor usually needs levelling first.