Laying a floor over existing tiles: what works and what does not
Most Dubai apartments and many villas can be re-floored without removing a single tile. Here is the checklist we use.
Why overlay
Tile removal is loud, dusty, slow and often banned by building management. If the tile beneath is sound and flat, a floating floor over it is faster, cleaner and cheaper, and it keeps the waterproofing under wet rooms untouched.
The three checks
Flatness: no more than 3 mm variation over a 2 m straight edge; deep grout lines are filled. Soundness: tap every tile; hollow or loose ones are re-fixed. Height: measure the gap under each door with the new floor thickness in mind, usually 5 to 8 mm.
What goes over tile well
SPC, laminate and engineered wood on underlay; carpet on grippers glued to the tile; artificial grass and WPC tiles on balconies; rubber tiles in a garage. LVT works if the tile is skimmed with a levelling compound first.
What does not
Large-format porcelain over tile is possible but heavy and adds height; usually the old tile comes out. Solid wood needs a bare screed. And anything glued directly to a glazed tile without preparation will fail.
See every option on our flooring types page, or ask us on WhatsApp. Visiting? Get directions to our Dragon Mart 1 showroom on Google Maps.