A New Floor on Top of an Existing Floor: When It Can Be Done and How

How do you change a floor without replacing it?  Anyone planning a renovation inevitably ends up asking themselves (and us) this question. In this article we’ll explore the various solutions for renovating a residential or commercial floor without removing the old one, thanks to the innovative flooring options by Cotto d’Este. You’ll learn how to put in a new floor without tearing up the existing one by simply gluing the new tiles on top of the old ones. As we’ll see, the solution is offered by a special category of porcelain stoneware, designed to make renovations faster and cheaper: laminated stoneware.

Is It Possible to Glue Tiles on Top of Tiles?

Of course! There’s technically nothing stopping you from doing it, unless the weight of the new floor exceeds the load capacity of the structure. The real question is: which types of flooring can be layered onto old ones? We’ve already touched upon part of the answer: the weight of the new floor is a crucial factor, not just for the stability of the structure (which is important to consider), but also in terms of the thickness. A thicker floor may require replacing doors and baseboards. But what if the material that’s being added on top of the existing floor is so thin that it fits within the gap that allows the door to swing freely on its hinges?

This would be a no-brainer if we were renovating a home, office, or store using, for example, vinyl flooring, which has a thickness ranging from 2 to 6 mm. But can the same be done with porcelain stoneware?

Overlay Flooring for Interiors

One of the viable options for renovating an existing floor without demolishing it is ultra-thin porcelain stoneware. When we talk about thin tiles for overlay, we’re referring to a specific type of stoneware known as laminated porcelain stoneware.  This is a category of ceramic products that started gaining popularity about twenty years ago, largely thanks to Cotto d’Este, which, in 2004, became the first ceramic company to believe in ultra-thin over-sized slabs.

Right, but how thin? Really thin! The thinness of laminated porcelain stoneware is astounding, especially considering that it’s a ceramic flooring material: in fact, it ranges from 3 to 6 mm. It is, therefore, a product whose low weight is its main strength. And a low weight also means extreme versatility and ease of use. But it’s also durable, thanks in part to the inherent properties of the material, which are the result of a specific manufacturing process.

How to Install Tiles on an Existing Floor

A thin overlay floor can be installed on any type of substrate, provided that it has been designed and constructed in accordance with the pertinent project specifications and current regulations. Specifically, it’s important to verify that the substrate has the proper characteristics, or rather that it is:

  • Stable, meaning “settled”, and therefore stable in terms of its dimensions;
  • Undamaged and compact, meaning free of cracks at the time of installation and without any detachment of constituent parts. In the case of pre-existing cladding (on the floor or wall), any layer of finish must still adhere perfectly to the substrate (this can be checked through percussion inspection);
  • Dry, otherwise the adhesive’s bond could be compromised;
  • Level, the flatness of the substrate is checked using a straightedge of at least 2 metres, resting it on the existing floor in all directions. The allowable tolerance is 2 mm;
  • Clean, the surface of the substrate must be clean and free from contaminants.

These are all characteristics that, in the case of an existing floor, are extremely easy to verify.

It’s also essential to choose the right adhesive and lay the laminated porcelain stoneware properly. For more information on these important aspects, you can download a technical manual that contains a thorough description of the material along with instructions for installation and cleaning. Although renovating a home in this way is quick and cost-effective (saving you the expense and hassle of tearing out the old floor), it’s crucial that you hire experienced installers, who are familiar with this type of installation.

How to Cover Bathroom Tiles Quickly and Without Demolition

The bathroom is one of the most regularly used environments in the home, subjected to the daily challenges of steam and moisture. That’s why, despite regular maintenance, there are times when a more substantial refurbishment could become necessary. Other times, it’s simply our taste that demands a fresh look: the floor, wall coving, fixtures, and cabinetry no longer reflect our style and feel hopelessly outdated.

It’s the bathroom’s cladding that, more than anything else, characterises this environment, as it often covers a large portion of the walls. Given the cost and inconvenience involved, we might hesitate to replace it just because of a change in taste. However, in this case too, new porcelain stoneware installed on top of existing tiles is the solution.

Choosing thin tiles minimises the added thickness, which can be quite unattractive.  With its reduced thickness and the variety of aesthetic options it offers, laminated porcelain stoneware is the perfect ceramic alternative to traditional double-fired tiles. While these are thinner than standard porcelain stoneware, they fall short in terms of performance and size.

Basically, the same guidelines for installing tiles on top of an existing floor apply when it comes to gluing tiles on tiles for wall coverings. In particular, it’s crucial that the pre-existing cladding be thoroughly cleaned. The steam that forms during showers, leaves moisture on the tiles, leading to a build-up of limescale and facilitating the growth of mould and mildew.

Floors That Can Be Overlaid Without the Use of Adhesives

Among the overlay flooring options for interiors, it’s worth taking a closer look at systems that use ultra-thin porcelain stoneware. These are dry installation systems for ceramic floors that make renovations much more sustainable. The tiles are laid without adhesive yet demonstrate a level of durability comparable to that offered by traditional installation methods.

With a thickness of about 7 mm, these systems make it possible to create a new, extremely durable, porcelain stoneware floor that’s suitable for interiors in homes or light commercial spaces. These are particularly innovative solutions because they use an extraordinarily high-performance product: over-sized laminated porcelain stoneware slabs, applied on top of existing cladding to renovate a space without the need for demolition or any additional work.

Overlay Flooring: Two Examples

Cotto d’Este is one of the first companies to offer a system like this, known as Kerlite Easy. This video demonstrates just how simple and quick it is to renovate a floor with Kerlite Easy. Meanwhile, you can download the installation manual dedicated to this revolutionary system at this link.

Let’s take a look at two real-life examples in which Kerlite Easy was used for a quick and cost-effective renovation.

The first example is the offices of the large logistics hub that MD – a well-known Italian discount grocery chain – built in Cortenuova, Bergamo. For the floors of the executive offices, the design studio chose the Vanity collection in the over-sized 120x120 cm format with a thickness of 6.5 mm, installed using the Kerlite Easy dry-lay system. Vanity is a collection that reproduces the aesthetic of the most elegant and minimalist marbles, perfect for adding a touch of distinctive elegance and sophisticated authority to the space.

The second example is the Milanese showroom of the Parisian fashion house Gaëlle Paris, which chose Cotto d’Este’s ceramic products for its flooring, installed using Kerlite Easy. In keeping with the style that characterises the brand’s Parisian stores, the Kerlite Black-White collection was chosen, using both ultra-white and black in a satin finish. This is a collection that masterfully plays with the extremes of black and white, in which the purity of the colours is the product of high-quality raw materials and superior production techniques.  The ceramic product transforms into a true architectural element, bringing a sense of movement and surprise to the space by skilfully alternating light and shadow.

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