Can you lay a new floor over your tiles? Yes, if the tiles pass four checks
A click floor can go straight over ceramic or porcelain tiles without lifting them. Here is what the tiles need to pass first, and what changes at your doors.
By the Ajusteur team4 minute read
Why can a click floor go over tiles at all?
A click floor is a floating floor. The planks lock to each other along their edges and rest on the floor beneath. Nothing is glued or screwed down. The tiles underneath only have to do one job, which is to stay flat and still.
That is why this route suits a home you live in. Nothing is broken out, so there is no rubble to carry down in the lift and very little dust. It is also why the floor can come out again later: unlock the planks and the tiles are as they were.
Source: Studio Matrx: SPC flooring installation, rigid core click vinyl, step by step (June 2026)
The four checks your tiles need to pass
We make these checks at the visit, before we price anything. The figures are from a published installation guide for rigid core click floors. Every product has its own instructions, and those are the ones we follow on your job.
Source: Studio Matrx: SPC flooring installation, rigid core click vinyl, step by step (June 2026)
What changes at the walls and doors?
The floor needs room to move. A gap of 8 to 10 mm is left at every wall and around anything fixed. Skirting covers the gap, and it is fixed to the wall, never down onto the floor. A floor that is pinned at its edges has nowhere to go when it warms up, and it lifts.
The floor is also higher than it was. Door leaves are usually trimmed at the bottom, and each doorway gets a threshold strip where the new floor meets the old one. Plan these before the first plank goes down. They belong in the quote, not in a surprise on the day.
Strong sun through a large window heats dark planks more than pale ones. If a room gets direct sun for hours, tell us. It can change which floor we suggest for that room.
Source: Studio Matrx: SPC flooring installation, rigid core click vinyl, step by step (June 2026)
When is it better to lift the tiles?
Lift them when many tiles are loose, when the floor is badly out of level, when there is damp underneath, or when the extra height would leave a step at the front door or under fitted wardrobes. Lift them too when you want real wood or new tiles bonded down for good. That is a different job, with more dust and more days. Here is how a renovation is planned and priced.
What about a rented home?
A floating floor leaves the tiles untouched, which is why tenants like it. It still changes the home, so ask your landlord in writing before you start, and keep the reply. When you leave, the floor can be unlocked and lifted, and the tiles are still there underneath.
How we can help
Send photos of the rooms and a rough area. We bring samples to your home, check the tiles, measure every room and send a written quote that lists the preparation, the floor, the skirting and the doors, each on its own line. See our floors, or read which floor suits which home.
Quick questions
Do the old tiles need to come up first?
Usually not for a click floor. If the tiles are sound, flat, clean and dry, the new floor floats over them. Loose tiles and deep grout lines are fixed or filled first.
Will my doors still close?
The new floor raises the level, so door leaves are usually trimmed at the bottom. We check each door at the visit and list the trimming in your quote.
Will the grout lines show through?
Not when wide or deep joints are filled first. Fine, shallow grout lines under a rigid core plank are not a problem.