Can LVP go over the old tile?
Sometimes a floating floor can go over flat, well-bonded tile, but it is usually not the best choice. Grout lines and lippage can show through or stress the plank joints, the floor gets taller at every doorway, and any loose or hollow tile underneath stays there. We check this at the free measure. In most tile-to-LVP jobs we recommend taking the tile out.
Step 1: tile removal (from $2.00/sq ft)
Tile and glued-down floor removal starts at $2.00 per square foot. The exact figure depends on how well the tile is bonded and how much thinset comes up with it. Breaking up the tile and scraping the slab are in that line; when we haul the debris away there is a separate $400 dumpster fee. Tile removal is loud and dusty, so we plan the work area and protection with you before install day.
Step 2: what the slab looks like after the tile comes up
On a Northeast Florida slab, old tile often leaves ridges of thinset, low spots where the tile was set thick, and sometimes old cracks in the concrete. Floating LVP needs the flatness its manufacturer specifies, so this is where leveling comes in:
- Spot leveling (patch/feather): $75 per bag applied, $150 minimum
- Area self-leveling: $2.50/sq ft at a 1/4" average, +$0.50/sq ft for each extra 1/8", $300 minimum
We cannot know the exact leveling until the tile is out. Your quote explains how leveling is handled and what it costs, so the decision is made before work starts and not on install day.
Step 3: moisture and underlayment
Concrete slabs in Jacksonville can carry moisture from the ground. The Plus package ($4.49/sq ft) includes a moisture barrier under the planks. On a tile-removal job where the bare slab is exposed, that is worth asking about at the measure.
Step 4: heights, doorways and baseboards
Tile, thinset and mortar bed are often thicker than LVP and its underlayment, so after removal the new floor can sit a little lower than before. Doorways to rooms you keep (a tiled bathroom, for example) get transitions at $35–45 each. The old tile may also leave a gap under the baseboards. Shoe molding ($2.99/LF, included in Plus) covers it.
Step 5: bathrooms and kitchens
Waterproof LVP works in kitchens, laundry rooms and hall bathrooms. In a bathroom the toilet is pulled and reset ($99). Under cabinets and islands, the floor runs to the cabinet base. It does not go under it. If you want new tile somewhere else, such as a shower, that is the other half of our work and is quoted on its own. See shower tile installation.
A worked example
A 900 sq ft living area, kitchen and hall with old ceramic tile, Promo package: 900 × $3.99 = $3,591, plus tile removal from $2.00/sq ft (from $1,800) and the $400 dumpster. Estimated total: from $5,791 before any leveling and transitions. More scenarios are on the LVP quote examples page.
When keeping tile makes more sense
If the tile is sound and you like it, or the room is a shower or a wet area that sees standing water, tile is still the right floor. We install both, so we have no reason to push you one way. See tile installation.
Related guides
LVP quote examples · Replacing tile with LVP · Carpet to LVP · Removal & prep prices · Waterproof LVP