Can I Put Ceramic Tile on Top of Hardwood Floor?

LESLIE: Bela in North Carolina is on the line with a flooring question. How can we help you?

BELA: The floor is hardwood.

TOM: OK.

BELA: And my wife would like to replace the hardwood with ceramic tile. So the question is: can I put the ceramic tile on top of the hardwood or I need – replace the hardwood?

TOM: No, no. The hardwood makes a great base for it because that’s so strong and straight and flat. So, the hardwood would be a great base for the ceramic tile. You could use a thinset adhesive and probably adhere it right to that existing subfloor.

Now, since the hardwood is finished, you might need to rough it up first. Or at the least, you could put some thin plywood over the hardwood, just so you have an underlayment that could really absorb the glue. So you could use like a luan plywood but there’s no reason you can’t put ceramic tile right on top of the hardwood floor.

BELA: Now, the commode would have to be – well, I would have to use longer …

TOM: Yes, it would be a good idea to take the commode up. Because otherwise, you’re going to have sort of an odd cut of the tile around it. So you would remove the commode and there’s a flange that will raise the drain by the thickness of the tile. And then you put it back together again, OK?

BELA: Alright, sir. I like your show a lot.

LESLIE: Oh, thank you.

TOM: Well, thank you very much, Bela. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.