Berti Advises: can I do a new parquet installation on an old floor? How to do if there is an existing floor?

In this episode of Berti Consiglia we want to talk about a very common question in renovation: imagine that you need to renovate or replace the floor of a home or room. Your wish would be to be able to do a new installation and use parquet, but is this all possible? Can you choose to have a wood floor over an existing floor?

The answer is yes for several case scenarios: the pre-existing floor must be firmly attached to the underlying screed, so there is no problem for tiles, ceramics of different kinds, marble and various derivatives, or even stone. If, on the other hand, your old floor has a carpet, PVC, or linoleum covering, it is not possible to lay parquet directly. It will require removal from the bottom along with any traces of old adhesive: if necessary, light sanding can be done to remove any residue.

If your room falls into the first type of case history presented, and therefore the existing material is suitable for the installation of a parquet floor, it is in any case necessary to carefully and thoroughly check the condition of that subfloor. The floor must present a perfect adherence to the screed, with the absence of any kind of sinking or cavity. Action must necessarily be taken to remove any residue of wax, dirt or grease that may have accumulated with the passage of time. The surface as a whole must be absolutely homogeneous, compact and planar: in order to ensure that the parquet, once laid, can have an effective and durable gluing. If there are any unevenness, or missing parts due to traces of old installations, they must be eliminated by filling all the gaps. It will necessarily be necessary to grind the ceramic tile that will form the substrate for the glue to improve its fixing and bonding properties. This is an operation that is also known as “roughing up the ceramic”: it means intervening mechanically or using chemical agents to create a rough laying surface that allows the glue to “cling” perfectly.

Once these essential steps have been completed, you will have a floor ready for the installation of the parquet floor you have chosen.The installation can be either floating or glued, with the care taken to choose an appropriate adhesive.