Can You Put Laminate Flooring Over Carpet?

Would you like to know if you can put laminate flooring over carpet? Well, we have researched this question and have answers for you. It is helpful to know if you can put laminate over carpet to know if you can save yourself time and money.

You can put laminate flooring over carpet if the carpet is very low and flat. Plush carpet will leave your new laminate flooring uneven as carpet fibers are compressed in different directions. If your carpet has any bumps or grooves, this will also show in your laminate flooring.

In this article, we will learn if you can put laminate flooring over carpet. We will also learn the answers to other interesting related questions such as, how can I cover up carpet without removing it, and what should I put down under laminate flooring? Keep reading to learn more.

Can You Put Laminate Flooring Over Carpet?

There are many reasons you may want to put laminate flooring over carpet. Removing carpet can be exhausting, and paying someone to remove it can be expensive.

If you live in a rental home, you may not be allowed to remove the carpet, leaving putting laminate over your carpet your only option. Whatever the reason you want to put laminate flooring over carpet, we are here to tell you that you can if your carpet meets the right conditions.

Laminate flooring is flexible and, as such, shows any flaws underneath it. To have your laminate flooring installed correctly, you will need to ensure that the area under the laminate is flat and smooth. 

If your carpet has bumps or grooves, they will show in your laminate flooring. You will need to ensure that the carpet you have under your laminate flooring is in near perfect condition.

The other thing that needs to be taken into account is the height of the carpet. If you have a very low carpet, your laminate flooring should be fine to install. There may be a problem if you have a very long plush carpet.

When you lay laminate flooring over plush carpet, the carpet fibers lay down. The problem is that not all of the threads will lay in the same direction leaving your laminate with an uneven fit as different parts of the carpet bend in different directions.

This all means that if you want to put laminate flooring over carpet, your carpet will need to be very flat and low to ensure your laminate flooring is even.

How Can I Cover Up Carpet Without Removing It?

If you are looking to cover up carpet without removing it, you are in luck as there are many ways to do so. Let's explore some of the creative ways to do this.

Laminate Or Floor Boards

One way to cover your carpet without removing it is to install laminate or floorboards over it. As discussed before, laminate will require flat and low carpet but, floorboards can be installed over almost any carpet. With floorboards being so rigid, they won't show imperfections in the underlay like a laminate flooring will.

You can also use other floor covering, such as tiles, to cover your carpet. Tiles can easily be laid over carpet but, depending on what mortar you use to secure them, you may need a buffer between the carpet and tiles to keep the mortar from damaging the carpet.

Rugs

Another great way to cover carpet without removing it is rugs. There are many types of rugs to choose from, so you can get creative.

Rugs can also be removed when you move without damaging the carpet underneath. Not damaging the carpet can be very important if you are renting.

Unlike other floor coverings, rugs can be rearranged as many times as you like, giving your living environment a fresh look any time you'd like.

Furniture

You can also cover carpet without removing it by properly utilizing furniture. This is a classic solution to cover bad sections of your carpet or perhaps a stubborn stain.

Just like rugs, there are so many options of furniture available that you can get creative. A new couch and ottoman may be the perfect thing to cover a worn-out piece of carpet.

Is It Hard To Replace Carpet With Laminate?

Replacing carpet with laminate can be exhausting but not necessarily difficult, just time-consuming. The reason that replacing carpet with laminate can be problematic is prep.

While laminate is designed to be reasonably straightforward to install due to its interlocking nature, the prep work can often be more vital than installing. If you attempt to install laminate over any surface that isn't perfectly flat, then the imperfections will show in the laminate.

So after you remove the carpet, you will need to ensure that the floor is free of any imperfections before laying the laminate flooring. If there are small patches of adhesive that hold the carpet down, you will need to thoroughly scrap them away before installing the laminate.

Replacing carpet with laminate is also very time-consuming. First, you have to remove the carpet, which can take many hours and lots of lifting. Also, we discussed you have to thoroughly scrape the surface under the carpet to ensure it's flush.

Then when installing the laminate, you must take your time to ensure each section is aligned correctly before securing it in place. Any imperfections in the alignment of your laminate will cause your final product to look shoddy, so extreme effort must be taken to ensure it is appropriately placed.

While replacing carpet with laminate is a hard job, if you take your time, you will find installing laminate is doable even without professional experience.

Can You Lay Laminate Without Underlay?

When you want to install laminate, you may wonder if you need to lay underlay or not. It turns out that you don't have to use underlay with laminate, but it would be best if you did.

If you want to install laminate without underlay, you will need to do a lot of work. You will need to ensure that the surface you wish to install laminate on is featureless and perfectly flat. If there are any bumps, they will show in your laminate.

Start by inspecting every part of the floor to ensure it is featureless. If any nail heads are sticking up, you will need to hammer them flush or remove them.

There may also be cracks or crevasses in the underfloor, and you will need to make these flush. One way to make a crack or crevasses flush is to add caulk to the crevasses and use a tool to level it. Once the caulk is dry, ensure that it is flush with the floor and if it isn't, use sandpaper to make it flush.

Once you are sure that your floor is perfectly flat, you can install your laminate without underlay. There are, however, some advantages that having underlay under your laminate flooring will add.

Underlay will give your laminate flooring more support which can help extend its life span. It will also make walking on the floor more comfortable and better at absorbing shock.

Underlay will also help with noise reduction. As you step, vibrations through the floor are responsible for the noise. With underlay, those vibrations will better dissipate, reducing the noise from walking.

What should I put down Under Laminate Flooring?

Now that we know that it is better to have underlay with your laminate flooring, let's learn what should be put down under laminate flooring.

It would be best to put an underlay that is a closed-cell foam to ensure proper support for your laminate flooring. Closed-cell foam underlay is soft and has enough structure to keep from deforming over time.

Using a closed-cell foam underlay will ensure your laminate flooring has a long lifespan and that your steps will not be so noisy. The soft nature of the underlay will also ensure that the shock of each of your steps will be absorbed, reducing force on your legs, making walking on your laminate flooring feel softer.

With a suitable underlay under your laminate flooring, you will not need to ensure that the floor under the laminate is so perfectly flat. If there are minor imperfections in the underflooring, then the underlay will hide these imperfections.

With so many advantages to using an underlay, you should install closed-cell foam underlay before installing your laminate flooring to ensure an excellent laminate floor.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we learned can put laminate flooring over carpet if the carpet is low and flat. We also learned you could lay laminate flooring without underlay if the underfloor is perfectly flat and featureless.

Remember that while you can install laminate flooring without underlay, laminate flooring with underlay will always be superior to laminate flooring without underlay.

We hope you enjoyed this article. If you want to learn more, check out some of these other posts.

How To Get Carpet Protector Off Laminate Or Wood Floor

Carpet Vs. Laminate In A Basement – What To Consider