Not everybody likes laminate flooring. However, since it is a cheap material, many properties are filled with the stuff. A lot of people wonder whether they can cover the laminate flooring up with some carpet tiles.
So, can you put carpet tiles over laminate flooring? Yes, you can. This is assuming that the laminate flooring isn’t damaged. However, do bear in mind that when you put carpet tiles over laminate flooring, it may cause the laminate to lose some of its shine.
Let’s explain in a bit more depth, shall we?
Can You Put Carpet Tiles Over Laminate Flooring?
Yes. The carpet tiles should fit neatly over the laminate flooring. You will need to use some tape to hold the tiles in place, but this shouldn’t normally be an issue.
If you are going to put the carpet tiles over the laminate flooring, then make sure that the flooring is clean and dry first. You do not want to put carpet tiles on a wet surface. It will allow mold to start growing, which isn’t going to be pleasant!
It is not recommended that you put carpet tiles over seriously damaged laminated flooring. If there are a couple of cracks on the flooring, then you should be fine. If there are large chunks missing from some of the laminate, then you may want to replace the laminate instead.
Is it Better To Remove Laminate Flooring Before You Install Carpet Tiles?
No. It is better to leave the laminate flooring in place.
Your laminate flooring should, hopefully, be fairly flat. This means that when you stick the carpet tiles on them, the carpet tiles are going to be very flat too.
Carpet tiles are designed to be temporary. Sooner or later, you are probably going to be taking those carpet tiles off of the floor, and you are going to have some beautiful laminated flooring in place.
Of course, the whole reason why you want to keep that laminate flooring on the floor is the fact that it is going to be incredibly difficult to remove. We don’t know if you have ever removed laminate flooring before, but it takes absolutely ages. At least with carpet tiles, you can stick some tape on the back of them, put them on the floor, and then you are done. Simple!
Do You Need To Use a Carpet Underlay If You Want To Install Carpet Tiles on Laminate Flooring?
You do not have to do so, no. You can install the carpet tiles directly onto the laminate flooring.
That being said, having that protective layer can come in useful. It will help to protect the surface of the laminate flooring. The laminate flooring may still end up losing a little bit of its shine (more on that in a short while), but probably not as much as it would if you were sticking carpet tiles directly to the surface.
It may be more hassle to install underlay, to be honest. You will have to cut the underlay to size, and if you get it wrong, then the carpet tiles will slide about a little bit, which totally negates the reason why you would want to use underlay in the first place.
Will Carpet Tiles Ruin The Laminate Flooring?
Maybe.
We won’t lie to you. The laminate flooring isn’t going to look as good as it did before the carpet tiles went on top of it. Laminate flooring is well known for its shine, but that is going to disappear with the carpet tiles sitting on it for a while.
If you do not stick the carpet tiles down properly, then there is also a chance that they can rub against the laminate flooring, which can result in some scuff marks. In fact, even if they don’t move around all that much, the double-sided tape on the back of the carpet tiles is going to cause light marking on the laminate flooring.
In rare cases, the carpet tiles may react with the laminate flooring. This can cause dark marks that will be impossible to remove. However, we cannot stress enough how rare this is going to be. It normally happens when the carpet tiles are down for years and years on end.
That being said, the laminate flooring isn’t going to look awful when you remove the carpet tiles. It is just going to look like a bit of general wear and tear, and you shouldn’t have too many issues sprucing it up again. It is never going to look as brilliant as it once did, but we promise that you won’t be itching to replace that laminate flooring.
How Do You Stick Carpet Tiles To Laminate Flooring?
You should use strong double-sided carpet tape. This will prevent the carpet tiles from sliding about.
Do bear in mind that the double-sided carpet tape may leave some scuff marks on the laminate flooring. This means that you should probably be a bit careful if you are renting the property.
We suggest that you use as little double-sided tape as you can get away with.
You must ensure that the carpet tiles are stuck down as securely as possible. This will help to prevent them from moving. As we said before, this is vital, because if the carpet tiles are moving about, then there is a good chance that they can end up causing some serious scratches on the laminate flooring. These scratches can’t be buffed out easily.
Final Thoughts
You can put carpet tiles on top of laminate flooring. It is probably going to be a lot easier than removing the laminate flooring. However, you should probably remember that the bottom of the carpet tiles may end up scuffing the laminate flooring a little bit. This means that if you ever remove the carpet tiles, the laminate flooring underneath probably isn’t going to look as great as it used to.
Did you find this blog post helpful? If you did, then why not check out some of our other blog posts? We have articles that cover all sorts of topics, including how to choose the right flooring for your home and office.
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