Can You Put New Flooring Over Old Linoleum?

Over time, our floor with linoleum became dirty and discolor. Hence, it makes us irritated especially when the guests come. Replacing your old linoleum flooring with a new one indeed brings back the past fancy look. Not only the old home, but we also need to replace it when we move to a new house.

So, the question will come: can you put new flooring over old linoleum? Yes, some simple hacks will help you in replacing them. During replacing, you can keep the floor flat and the subfloor safe. In our replacing process, we use vinyl plank because of its strength and wear and tear-resistant capability. Don’t worry, you can use other materials like carpet, tiles, hardwood, etc.

Should You Install Vinyl Plank Flooring Over Linoleum?

Vinyl plank was first introduced in the 1950s. The used principal material is polyvinyl chloride. PVC is basically a product linked with petroleum. You will find its extensive use in home renovation and so on. The past manufacturers of linoleum now manufacture vinyl. Today, the vinyl flooring comes in tiles, sheets and planks. Interestingly, you can lay that flooring over linoleum. It is very DIY-friendly and easy to maintain.

Benefits of Using Vinyl Plank Over Old Linoleum

Vinyl Plank will give you some noteworthy amenities. Let’s see some in the following.

Benefits from Layers of Vinyl Plank

Vinyl plank comes with multiple layers. Multiple layers make this vinyl plank strength therefore it can withstand any wear and tear. Let’s talk about the layers of vinyl plank and its offered amenities.

Top Layer

The top layer will make the floor withstand damage against lends longevity and high traffic to the floor. Moreover, a waxed polish is used on the top layer to increase the damage resistance.

Image Layer

Next comes the image layer. This layer adds an aesthetic and general look to the product. Apart from that, the manufacturer uses this layer to represent natural wood or stone design on the flooring.

Today, the use of this flooring has become popular in showcasing a distressed look. The bright color of linoleum hopefully, seems well on the top of the subdue colors of linoleum.

Strength Layer

The next layer is called the strength layer and you can consider it as the vinyl product’s core. This layer increases the flooring’s durability and rigidity. To absorb sound, the manufacturer uses a cushion at the back.

While the sheet vinyl products come with a flexible nature, the substantial core makes the vinyl plank robust and sturdy. That core works behind to ensure a waterproof feature of this vinyl plank and protect the underneath of linoleum.

Linoleum Provides a Sturdy Base on Which the Vinyl Planks Can Be Laid

You may consider this vinyl plank flooring material isn’t sturdy due to its thin nature. Don’t think that because it is very robust. Moreover, you don’t need to lay anything under the linoleum because of its waterproof nature. However, the better way to install the vinyl plank is lay over the linoleum.

The thin nature of the vinyl plank may give you the uneven feeling underneath the floor through the vinyl planks. That’s why you need to ensure the flat and smooth subfloor. Also, you can achieve that with the help of linoleum layers under vinyl.

The Process Behind Installing New Flooring Over Old Linoleum

Here you will find several steps to put new flooring over old linoleum.

The first thing you need to do is go ahead and take the measurement. In this measurement, you need to find out the length of the room and length of the tile. Then divide the room length using tile length and then you will get the number of plunk needed per length of rows.

Also, you need to figure out the number of plunk needed per width of rows by dividing the width of the room by the width of tile.

Now, you may need to trim the molding around the door. So, take a vinyl plank and measure how much trim you need. Take a rotary tool or hand saw to trim it flush.

After that, you need to clean the linoleum nicely. For that, you can remove dirt or wax. Then, make sure your floor is dry.

Next, take the vinyl tiles and lay those over the linoleum and figure out the place to install and cut the area. Then, set your first tile in the center of the floor and then start setting the tile evenly on each side.

That setting technique will help you hide the edge or cuts on the corners of the room.

Next, to fit the tiles to the edge of the room, you can cut the tiles using a vinyl tiles cutter. For that, you need to measure the area and then take a cutter and score the top two or three times. Then, flip the board and snap it to separate.

Once you get your desired size of vinyl plank, now apply the adhesive especially made for vinyl tile over the linoleum using a trowel. Then, follow the pattern and layout to place the plank on your desired place.

After placing it perfectly, now, allow some time to dry the tiles as well as adhesive. Most probably, it takes 24 hours to dry completely.

Finally, take a floor roller and roll over the new flooring. The floor roller will push enough pressure on the new flooring hence that helps in strong bonding with the linoleum.

Different Ways to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring

Apart from the above steps, you can follow ways to install vinyl plank flooring.

Using Glue or Adhesive

Vinyl plank can be installed using the adhesive material. Also, you can apply a peel and stick method in this process or, apply glue to install the vinyl plank separately. Typically, you will find proper instructions along with installation methods. Moreover, the manufacturer mentioned the correct type of glue that you can use to install vinyl planks.

Click in Place

The 2^nd method to install vinyl planks is a click in place method. Here you don’t need to apply adhesive from the beginning or before installation. You lay and lock a plank in place with the nearest one and then make a floating floor.

This method makes the plank withstand in any season and keep the top unaffected. Also, it seems useful where the subfloor expands. However, if you use quarter-round molding, then you can attach the flooring edges to the baseboards.

Some common mistakes of while putting new flooring over old linoleum

If you are a newbie, you may make these mistakes unintentionally. Although those aren’t serious, they may create much havoc.

The first mistake is not cleaning the floor perfectly. If you don’t clean the floor before and go over any top of any rubble nails pebbles, then it will show through the vinyl planks.
The second mistake that is typically seen is not leveling the floor. If the floor has minor slopes, then you can go ahead. Nevertheless, for the small ridges bumps in the subfloor, you can go ahead after ensuring a feather finish.
The third mistake is not managing fancy tools like a pair of snips hammer, a knife and a multi-tool undercut saw.
Next come not cutting out the door jambs.
Another mistake is not figuring out the height difference.

FAQs

What type of flooring can you put over linoleum?

Interestingly, there is no hard and fast rule for selecting flooring when you want to put over linoleum. You can choose tile, carpet, hardwood, etc to put over the linoleum directly. Therefore, your floor’s existing look becomes updated and improved.

Can I install laminate flooring over linoleum?

If you want a new look of wood, then install a laminate floor over the linoleum. Similar to the hardwood, other surfaces also allow the installation of laminates. That means, you can easily put laminate over tile or linoleum, therefore, the floor looks clean and level. Plus, you won’t face moisture-related issues.

Can you lay peel and stick tiles over linoleum?

Yes, you can install peel and stick tiles over linoleum. Apart from that, for the better result, you can lay the tile directly over the concrete or the subfloor.

How do you cover up old linoleum?

Yes, you can simply cover up the kitchen or bathroom’s old linoleum using peel and stick vinyl tiles. This flooring material is available in any hardware shop. The installation of peel and stick vinyl tile is easy, and the price is affordable. For DIY, you don’t need any previous flooring experience; instead you can do it easily over your existing floor.