You have decided it is time to update your old laminate floors and decided on new luxury vinyl plank. You look at your old laminate floors and ask yourself, “can vinyl flooring be laid over laminate flooring?”
Why Luxury Vinyl Over Laminate is a Bad Idea
Vinyl plank’s are usually a thin type of flooring that are bendy in nature. This means putting them over an uneven surface will cause the imperfections to telegraph through to your vinyl. This is why it is always recommended that they should only go over a solid, smooth substrate.
Moisture poses another threat. You will be installing a waterproof floor over a floor that does not perform well with moisture. Once the vinyl is installed it will hold moisture down just like how it holds moisture on top of it. Any moisture trapped with the laminate can cause it to swell. Once it’s swelled, the affected area is going to show straight through to your vinyl planks.
If you decide to install the planks over the laminate and end up having issues because of the laminates imperfections, you not only wasted cash on the luxury vinyl, but doubled your workload because you have to rip up the luxury vinyl planks AND the laminate planks.
It is always best to go down to the substrate whenever you’re doing any type of flooring. The good news is laminate is usually installed as a floating floor. Therefore, you should be able to remove old laminate flooring within half a day or less! A good video for removing laminate can be found here.
If You’re Installing Anyway
If you insist on installing over the laminate, your first goal should be to make your laminate as smooth as possible. Then, you will want to install a solid smooth underlayment over your laminate floor. You will then want to install vinyl planks that are as thick as you can get. Thicker planks will increase the chance of the laminates imperfections from showing through. Keep in mind that you might have added thickness at the doors to adjoining rooms, plus the warranty will most likely be voided.
I’ve decided to remove my laminate flooring before I install my vinyl planks. Do you have any tips or recommendations for tearing out my old laminate?
Hi Dwayne, great decision! Generally, it is fairly easy to remove old laminate planks. I found a Youtube Video that explains and shows the removal process. I’ll link it here.
I keep reading about the concern over asbestos in the glue and materials under many old home’s laminate flooring. Lowe’s installers said they could only pull up laminate in homes newer than 2004 for legal reasons involving asbestos.
I see your concern. If your laminate planks are in good condition and provide a smooth surface for the vinyl planks, the best option might be to go ahead and lay the vinyl planks over the laminate with quality underlayment. However, another option would be to test your current laminate flooring for asbestos. Definitely do not do this yourself and hire a licensed asbestos assessor if you are going to have the flooring tested.