Dilemma: flooring on a victorian tile floor

6 years ago

I'm really struggling with this one: one room in the house has an old red victorian tile floor - I've 'nitromorsed' it and sadly there's no interesting patterns - just the traditional tile. It's mostly damaged with cracks and slivers - there's just no point in trying to restore it. Our assumption is there's no damp proofing under it, so we can either remove it (mega £'s) or put flooring over it. However I've been told carpets and floorboards will rot because we'd be interfering with the moisture release. Has anyone had this issue, and had success with laying something on top? I'd be really grateful for any advice!

Comment (1)

PRO
Floors of Stone
6 years ago
Hello,

Whilst we are only suppliers of flooring, we have picked up advice through years of being in the industry.

Generally, it is not recommended to lay flooring on top of existing tiles - you don't know how they've been laid, how secure they are, if there's any underlying issues like damp which you've mentioned, etc etc.

If there's no damp proofing, then you don't want to lay something over the top that isn't 'breathable' as this will stop any moisture escaping and can drive it into the walls, and then you're left with an even bigger problems!

I think you can get breathable carpet nowadays, made of natural fibres that could work and are breathable, but you would have to be very careful choosing this, especially with underlay.

We'd recommend getting a builder/fitter in to assess the floor and give an expert opinion about the best option going forward.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Sophie // Floors of Stone
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Dilemma: flooring on a victorian tile floor

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Floors of Stone

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