Installing new flooring over ceramic tile?Nixed by mom...

[texsuze]

Who has done this successfully?

We're under contract on a house for my 87 y.o. mom; she has finally consented to leave her house of 50+ years to move 250 miles to be near us (that would be another thread ). House is circa 1993, standard ranch-style, very nice little 'hood, 3 br/2 bath, single story, +/-1900 sq. ft., nicely refreshed, new roof, new HVAC, solid oak cabinets in kitchen, move-in ready. Just needs mom-friendly wall colors, plus screen on the back porch.

The issue: the ceramic floor tiles in LR, DR, MBDR, hallway, entry foyer are square, mocha brown with white and/or cream grout lines. Mom does not want ceramic tile ("grout gets too dirty"). She also does not want carpet (not cat-puke friendly!). Why did previous owners choose mocha brown with extreme contrasting grout?

I'm trying to avoid tearing up all this tile; I'm sure the house would go from being clean and move-in ready, to a filthy remodel construction zone. Apparently the newer vinyl plank (SPC & WPC) flooring-- (not LVT) --with the rigid core, is able to be installed directly over a variety of 'subfloors' including ceramic tile. Might not be as high-end as engineered or real wood, but if we find a vinyl plank with texture, attached underlayment and with appropriate core and finish surface, we could hopefully avoid the horror of busting out all the ceramic tile. I think it would be a worthwhile compromise.

Any thoughts or personal experience?

[Amado]

It there any way to stain the grout darker? I would worry about the difference in height between the floors you lay laminate over and the others. Tripping hazard and potential to mess up all your doorway clearances.they redid the flooring in our house before we bought, I don’t know what they did, but I have one closet doorway that won’t open very well over the rug that is down in the entryway.

[Hayburner]

I would guess the grout lines could be filled in to match the height of the tile and then covered with faux wood.

Yes, tearing out all the tile would be a nightmare, but a really good contractor with a few guys could get it done pretty quick. A friend just had this done and I was shocked in how quick they got it all lifted off. The residueunder the tiles would need to,be smoothed off too. My friend wasn't worried about the mess as the whole house had a major remodel done.

[Moutaineer]

Ugh. That would Have To Go if I were moving in, too!

Yes, I'd be concerned if there was a height difference between adjacent rooms after adding the new floor--If it's an entire floor of the house, you could probably get way with it, but you would have to get all the doors cut down, which at the end of the day would be a giant PITA as well.

Your best bet is going to be talking to a professional flooring company, I think. I'm sure they would be happy to advise.

[texsuze]

Mom isn't too worried about the threshold height changes between flooring material, since her current home has some. And I know the doors would need undercutting but that pales in comparison to the chaos/dust of busting up/removing all the tile. The two guest bedrooms (+/- 10' x 12') are currently carpeted, so only carpet removal before new flooring in those spaces. Both bathrooms will have to remain mocha ceramic tile

BTW, what's a good bathroom wall color for mocha floor tile, oak cabinets, and white solid surface vanity

[Chisamba]

at work they installed laminate over ceramic tile, ( i work in a group home) it was very quick and i did not even notice the raised threshold height, it is wheelchair and walker safe so they must have done something to the doors and thresholds to make it safe.

[heddylamar]

Personally, I'd either 1) rip up the ugly tile or 2) re-grout with something neutral and paint the walls a pale, contrasting color. ETA: linoleum would probably work fine too -- it's thin enough it shouldn't cause clearance problems.

Nana installed laminate wood flooring over beautiful, scarred old oak plank. It caused all sorts of havoc with doors needing to be cut to fit, cabinets (plus dishwasher, range, wood stove, toilets, etc) lifted, in-floor ducts extended, etc. And, then, when she sold the house the buyers requested something like $50k to repair all that damage. It was a mess. But, for Nana, it worked out just fine

[texsuze]

Thanks for all the input. We meet with a general contractor (female) this coming week to go over the 3 things we'd like to have done to the house. We'll factor her input in to our threshold for destruction Based on what I've read, I'm pretty sure the closet and room doors could all be undercut a smidge to clear an increased floor height; they aren't great quality doors to begin with. And since we'll keep ceramic tile in both bathrooms and the kitchen (cream colored here, at least), no cabinetry, toilets or appliances to work around. I'll report back later!

[texsuze]

Mom had a meltdown after reading the rigid-core vinyl plank manufacturer's 'care and maintenance' info. She misinterpreted it to mean the floors could not be vacuumed (?!). Declared that she cannot have this type of flooring and was ready to abort the entire relo mission.

I calmly related my conversation with the flooring tech guru who assures me a vacuum cleaner (sans beater bar) could indeed be used on this type flooring. Managed to get mom to calm down, whereby she reluctantly agreed to stay the course for the move here---we'll simply work with the mocha brown ceramic tile. New furniture, new area rugs, and new wall paint will help soften the look and should (hopefully) end up being just fine.

I think this meltdown was a manifestation of the stress she must be experiencing packing for the move. We're trying to back off, give her space, and not phone in with reports on the house as frequently, now that we've closed on the property and actually own it :\ Press on....

[WheresMyWhite]

OP, just went back and re-read the original post.

I would proceed with your plan but wanted to put on your mental 'radar screen' as it were is that things like area rugs are fall risks.

Maybe after your mom moves here you can float the idea of replacing the floor. Yes, I get it won't be fun or easy if she's living there already

But would like her to be safe as well...

A last minute thought... could you paint stencils on the tile to simulate area rugs and make the tile more appealing and avoid the area rugs?

[goneriding]

I would just do it before mom arrives. Tear out all the tile and carpet, put engineered vinyl throughout the house, make a few adjustments to baseboards (you'll probably need to add base shoe to conceal edges) and then you are DONE. EVP would be excellent flooring for your mom to age in place - easy to care for, not slippery, very durable if she needs a walker or wheelchair. And it will make the home feel bright, spacious, and up to date. Get the painting done too, and she can arrive and move in to her beautiful new home. It sounds like a big production but an experienced flooring contractor does it every day.

[texsuze]

Thanks for input on "aging and flooring" concerns. I'm almost more concerned about her 'muscle memory' and what happens when she wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to navigate a new home layout before realizing everything is different.

Mom is pretty spry for her age, still driving without an accident (knock wood), keeps fit by herding 6 indoor cats all day, shoveling tons of cat litter into garbage bags then shlepping said bags to the end of the driveway twice a week for trash pickup She was mowing her own front yard until about a year ago. The tipping point for finally admitting she should move was her decision to stop standing on the kitchen table to change the lightbulbs. She was tired of maintaining her own house! That said, footing is always an issue. We'll need to examine this soon, as contractors are nearly ready to start some refresh work on the house.

[WheresMyWhite]

Thanks for input on "aging and flooring" concerns. I'm almost more concerned about her 'muscle memory' and what happens when she wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to navigate a new home layout before realizing everything is different.
...
That said, footing is always an issue.

"Smooth" floor with slight texture whether it be a tile or wood (fake or real) is, IMO, for footing a better bet than area rugs or carpet. (When I say smooth means tile like marble or something... that stuff is slick when it's wet!) If you choose carpet, I'd carpet as much as feasible (sans bathrooms and kitchen/eating areas) to minimize flooring transitions.

As for navigating in the dark... get some motion operated LED night lights to plug into bedroom, hall, bathroom, etc. Motion detected means she doesn't need to remember to turn them on or deal with turning them off and yet still light to see and navigate.

Bathrooms are prime areas for falls Footing in shower/tub and outside of shower/tub.

I totally admire your mom and her spry-ness and desire to do as much for herself as she can! Having said that, if this move is permanent, I'd plan for future needs with respect to potential mobility limitations. She may not have a mobility limitation now but in the future, she could and it would be nice for her to not have to deal with a reno post-move if you plan for it now.

Night light example:

https://www.amazon.com/AUVON-Nightlight-Adjustable-Brightness-Bathroom/dp/B07MLS6H2S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3F4I6PBK1N18W&keywords=motion+sensor+night+light&qid=1567270882&s=gateway&sprefix=motion+%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-4

[texsuze]

Thanks, WMW for the nite lite link--looks pretty cool. I like the idea! Although, I'm thinking that with 6 cats roaming the house, the lights would be going off and on like a marquis on the Las Vegas strip

[WheresMyWhite]

They just might. I have 2 Border Terriers and yeah, when they move on the floor, the lights turn on. Having said that, the lights turn off auto-magically and, at least for me, if my dogs move around at night (being on the bed doesn't turn the lights on), the lights don't wake me up if they do go on.

Was thinking with your mom being in a new place with a different floor plan and furniture layout, might be a good idea You or she can always unplug them if they end up being a PITA.

[Srhorselady]

I live alone and I have always had a small plug in nightlight that come on after dark in every dark room. They have never bothered my sleep and it is comforting if getting up to investigate a noise. Since they are always on after dark there is no going off and on to disturb me.

[Koolkat]

When my elderly dad who was suffering from Parkinson's (and had on and off lucidity problems) came to visit, we put these up for him. We never took them down. DH also put a star on his bedroom door to help him find that, too.