Ceramic tile is a classic way to style your home, for a good reason. It’s durable, waterproof, and if cared for correctly, can last the lifetime of a home.

BUT, at some point, it’s just not practical anymore. Maybe you don’t like standing in your kitchen cooking or cleaning because it gives you back pain. Maybe you don’t like breaking dishes whenever they are dropped. And maybe you just need something warmer. Canadian winters can be a beast, and the last thing we want first thing in the morning is cold feet. It may be time for a change.

BUT, tearing up ceramic tile can be a huge mess. It requires some heavy duty tools, and it throws up a ton of dust and shards from the tile and the mortar. The dust settles on everything, and in your lungs. And the broken tiles can cut as easily glass. It’s best to hire a professional (which we are happy to do for you *wink wink*), but then comes the extra cost, and the upheaval of your life, and the cleanup after all of that mess.

So what are my options? I don’t want to keep the tile, but I also don’t want to tear it up! AAAAHHHH!!!

Here’s what you do. You go OVER it. You heard me, cover it up. Some grout lines may need to be patched depending on their depth, but with some leveling compound you should be all set. In no particular order, here are some alternatives to tearing it all up.

#1 Laminate

Laminate is a solid wood composite product, made to look like hardwood. Because of it’s solid composition, it will skim right over tiles. It is recommended to fill in grout lines, but that job is small and certainly easier than tearing all the tile up. Laminate requires a foam underlay for insulation and sound transmission, so if there’s any texture to our tile it will be smoothed right over. This product comes anywhere from 8mm to 12mm thick. Because of this, you may need adjust your doors. Lot’s of laminate these days is also waterproof, so you can cover the tile in places like your kitchen, bathroom, and entranceway. Check out Mohawk’s line RevWood plus, and RevWood select. RevWood is waterproof, and a great choice to cover tile.

#2 Vinyl Plank

Vinyl plank is a great choice. It is also solid, waterproof, and needs only grout line patching. Vinyl plank is typically thinner than laminate, so with he right product, you may not need to cut down doors or baseboards. Vinyl plank is a fantastic alternative, because it is completely waterproof. Vinyl plank has an attached cork or foam under pad. It is important that you patch the grout lines so that they don’t show through. I will turn your attention towards Richmond’s FirmFit Premium Long Plank. This product has all of the amazing qualities that I have just mentioned and lots of stunning visuals.

#3 Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood is a surprising addition to this list. But it will impress you. Especially when you take a look at NextFloor’s Ship Shape hardwood. This hardwood is engineered, waterproof and composed of a limestone/vinyl and a hardwood top layer. This hardwood is also floating, so it lays right over existing tile. It has then feel of hardwood that we all love, but the resilience of vinyl plank. Below is just one of the many colours available in the ShipShape line of waterproof engineered hardwood.

#4 Ceramic Tile

If your only issue with your existing tile is that it is dated and out of style, then why not cover it back up with a tile that you really love? We are not tile bashers here, in fact I love ceramic and porcelain tiles. So cover your tiles with more tiles! scour the tiles down on top so that the new mortar sticks, and go to town. This could be especially helpful if your new tile is a little bit thinner. Here is a tile that is very popular at the moment. It is only 8mm thick, so it won’t raise your floors height to much. Richmond Tile’s Rustic Stone in colour Taupe, size 12″ X 24″.

To recap, ceramic tile is good, BUT if you don’t like yours anymore, it’s easiest and safest to cover it up. You may need to patch some grout lines, but only minimally. And whatever your choice, make sure that it’s what you want. Don’t sacrifice what you want for the easy way out.

You can find all of these products and more at Stirling Carpet & Flooring, or send us an email, and we would be happy to steer you in the right direction.