scrubbedexpat008

At the risk of upsetting the "traditional" brigade - we've grown a little tired of Santa Catarina tiles all through the house and outside so want to change to a "distressed / washed oak plank" look in some rooms, starting with the lounge.

Tearing the existing tiles up is a seriously major exercise, so we're thinking of laying wood plank floating laminate flooring on top, or even floating vinyl planks which are allegedly quieter, especially with dogs.

We'll have to put a light skim on top of the tiles first because they are too uneven to apply laminate / vinyl straight on top, so the final result will be 1-2cm higher than the existing floor, but that's mainly a door issue.

Anyone done this sort of thing? Any informed feedback?

Thanks.

RichardHenshall

If it's the ground floor, is it dry enough?

mfesharne

I don't know if all wood laminates have the same problem but my Lab slips all over the place on the stuff we have in our guest apartment....... If she lays down. she can't get up again, if she runs, she can't stop & if she tries to turn at anything faster than a slow walk, she spins off! lol

scrubbedexpat008

Yep - no problems there

scrubbedexpat008

You're not wrong there - our daughter has laminate in her UK house and their dog skids everywhere, plus its quite noisy when he walks over it. Apparently vinyl tiles are quieter and can be obtained with a rougher finish to help out in this respect. I've seen some samples at our local showroom but am trying to get some third-party feedback before spending a non-trivial sum on this stuff.

rollermum83

You can buy a type of foam matting instead of having to put a base layer over the tiles which falls into an even level. This of course is a good option if you ever want to have the tiles back on show at anytime .

scrubbedexpat008

I think this is the normal stuff you put down as an "underlay" but it only deals with irregularities up to about 1mm. Santa Catarina tiles are more irregular than this according to my normal tiling chappie, which is why both he and another laminate specialist said we needed a smooth screed before laying anything. Without it there will be noticeable humps and bumps, possible movement and consequent noise on the new flooring.

Pulaski

IME anything that isn't glued down, or otherwise securely attached to the floor, is noisey, not least because it sounds hollow when you walk on it.

MrBife

You will need a latex leveling screed then a damp proof membrane and then a soft spun polypropylene matting to act as a cushion.

Sorry but it's a better job to take up the Santa Catarina tiles first as they are porous + skirtings will look weird and you will have to take a slice off each door.

liveaboard

We have wooden parquet floors and a dog.
So we put carpets everywhere.
Of course if you do that, then why change to wood?

macliam

Yes, you can put a rug over tiles - and tiles are far more practical with dogs - but I guess they're not for everyone.

I'd certainly not put a screed over Santa Catarina tiles - they have a value in themselves and might be a selling point later. Any "floating floor" will sound somewhat hollow and I would think that you could put down multiple layers of that thin white spongy underlay to soak up any minor changes in level, as it will compress to fit the space .... but that's less work and less cash for the installers.......