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Can You/Should You Lay Laminate Over Carpet?

If you have a carpeted floor, you might be curious about your choices for installing new flooring on top of it without replacing the carpet. Specifically, you might be wondering about laminate. Can (and should) you lay laminate over carpet?

You can lay laminate over a carpet, but you probably shouldn’t. Laminate over carpet brings an added layer of insulation and protects against vibrations. However, carpets with a high pile can warp the laminate on top of it, ruining your investment. Make sure the carpet below is thin.

This article will address whether you should install laminate over your carpet and which carpets can handle this laminate overlay best. If you decide to take on this DIY project, we’ll also walk you through how to do it!

Can You Put Laminate Over Carpet or Carpet Pad?

A roll of carpet padding

Laminate flooring is ideal for flat and rigid surfaces, such as wood or concrete. However, you can put laminate over carpet or carpet pad, and there are also several laminate flooring alternatives for carpets.

Of course, check with the vendor to ensure that their product is appropriate for your project. Certain manufacturers may advise you to put a layer of plywood over the carpet to create a solid, flat surface. Don’t impulsively lay the laminate without checking this first!

Should You Put Laminate Over Carpet or Carpet Pad?

Laminate floor planks

There’s much controversy about whether or not to lay laminate flooring over carpet. Many argue that the carpet underneath will create an unstable base for the laminate. However, if you follow the proper protocol, the laminate flooring can — and will — have a smooth surface.

Take note of where you plan to install your flooring before deciding on the laminate overlay. After all, the laminate’s wear layer may become extremely slippery when wet. Therefore, it wouldn’t be an ideal mudroom flooring choice.

Laminate flooring is ideal for dry, high-traffic areas of your home, such as hallways and family quarters. But you need to learn the distinctions between laminate flooring and carpeting before deciding whether laminate is right for you.

In the sections below, we’ll help you decide!

Laminate Is More Durable Than Carpet Flooring

Regardless of the carpet material, laminate flooring is less prone to scratches, stains, and dents.

Laminate layers are also UV-resistant, which means the flooring won’t fade in the sun as other fabrics do.

And, although laminate isn’t waterproof flooring, it’s more water-resistant than carpet, though manufacturers occasionally sell water-resistant laminate floors.

Laminate Flooring Is Easy To Install

It’s easy to lay laminate over your carpet.

Laminate floors are typically made of interlocking planks and don’t require nails or adhesive. It remains in position, thanks to the weight of the interlocking planks.

Since most laminate variants need an underlay, installing them on a carpeted floor is possible. A floating floor’s conventional drawbacks, such as creaking, can be addressed with an underlayment.

There’s a Possibility for Warped Flooring

Under the laminate planks, a carpet provides a soft base. As people step on the flooring, the floor sinks slightly deeper. When the rug pushes down, it distorts the laminate material on top!

If you go for laminate with a snap feature, your carpet can eventually become loose, resulting in holes in the flooring and detracting from the project’s visual appeal.

Dust Mites Will Be Attracted to the Carpet Underlay

Dust mites can begin to collect under the laminate surface if you lay it over a carpeted layer. If you have an allergy sufferer in your household, the combination of laminate and carpet can aggravate their symptoms.

After positioning the laminate, there’s no way to maintain the carpet underneath unless you remove the overlay entirely.

Which Carpet Material Is the Most Effective?

Carpet floor installation

Since you’ll feel the carpet under the flooring, it’s crucial to select a suitable material. Below are the most common features of typical carpet flooring:

  • Nylon is very smooth, flexible, and scratch-resistant. Nylon is the most widely used carpet fabric that’s resistant to mold, mildew, and rot.
  • Polyester resists stains but isn’t as durable as nylon.
  • Wool is the softest carpet fabric available. While low-grade wool is more stain-prone, high-grade wool is prohibitively costly.
  • A loop pile is more stable than a cut-and-loop pile.

Generally, the softer and higher the pile, the less sturdy the carpet will be.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 18, 2021.

Thinner Carpet is Better

If you’re working with less dense materials, there isn’t much padding to interfere with the laminate floor’s stability.

But that’s not the case with high pile carpet. With these, it’s best to remove the carpeting entirely. You’re better off working with a carpet underlay of 0.19 in. (5 mm.).

It should be at least 0.11 in. (3 mm.) thick to provide comfort and leveling properties and no more than 0.2 in. (5 mm.) thick. Any thicker, and you could experience problems with the laminate’s locking system.

But there are special steps to take when working with plush carpet to ensure a sound installation. To avoid a sliding floor, place a ¼ in. (0.635 cm.) piece of wood over the carpet before adding the laminate surface.

Why Use Carpet As Laminate Underlay?

Carpet floor installation

There are several reasons why you would choose to add laminate flooring over carpet. The most common reasons include:

  • Carpet underlays provide insulation.
  • Underlays prevent the laminate from harm caused by moisture.
  • It’ll protect your floors from vibrations and impacts triggered by everyday activities such as walking and shifting furniture.
  • It guards against abrasion and wears. Laminate is a floating floor, which means it lays over the subfloor. An underlay smooths out any imperfections in the subfloor, assisting in the leveling and stability of the laminate.

How To Put Laminate Over Carpet or Carpet Pad

Laminate floor plank installation tools

What You Need

Gather the tools below if you want to install laminate over carpet:

  • Tape
  • Knives
  • Clamps
  • Jigsaw
  • Spacers
  • Rubber mallet
  • Tape measure
  • Table saw
  • Chop saw
  • Compass
  • Pull bar
  • Tapping bar
  • Laminate flooring of choice
  • Silicone sealant
  • Carpenter squares
  • Claw hammers
  • Plywood

When installing on thicker carpets, plywood is a good idea. When you lay the plywood sheets, make sure to spread them in the opposite direction that the floor would go. But if you’re using several sheets of plywood, don’t forget to glue the seams together.

Preparation

Before installing your laminate, follow these steps:

  1. Before cutting the laminate planks, consult the cutting directions.
  2. Mark the plank with chalk where you want to slice it.
  3. Using a table or hand saw, cut the plank with the finished side up.

Step-by-Step Process

To install laminate flooring over carpet, follow these steps:

  1. Take all furniture and personal belongings out of the room.
  2. Vacuum the carpet to provide a clean work surface.
  3. Separate the wall from the planks with spacers. Using your spacers, create a ¼ in. (0.635 cm) expansion distance from the wall.
  4. Place the first plank in the room’s corner, working from right to left.
  5. Interlock the tongue and groove connections and line the seams to complete the first row.
  6. Start the next row with the remaining cut ends that are at least six inches long. Don’t forget to stagger these pieces.
  7. Continue down the room, tapping the planks into a locked place with the tapping block and rubber mallet.

Spacers can be placed every few feet along the flooring’s perimeter and removed when the installation is complete.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 18, 2021.

If you run out of room in a row, calculate the distance between the wall and the previous plank, then label and cut the subsequent plank accordingly.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 18, 2021.

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