Yes over existing hardwood and over flat, well-stuck sheet vinyl. Usually no over tile: it can be done with a glued or floated engineered floor if the tile is dead flat and sound, but in most Snohomish houses the height, the grout lines and the cracked corners make tear-out the better job. Wills Flooring installs engineered or solid hardwood for $3.25 per sq ft and unfinished hardwood for $2.75 per sq ft, 500 sq ft minimum. Tear-out and subfloor prep are quoted at the free in-home estimate after we look at what is down.
Snohomish homeowners are practical people. Whether it is a farmhouse on acreage off Fobes Hill or a 1990s house in Clearview, the question we hear is: "Can you just go over what is there and save me the tear-out?" Sometimes yes, and it saves real money. Sometimes the new floor ends up an inch higher than the kitchen tile and every door drags. Here is how we decide, floor by floor.
Floor by floor: what can be covered
| Existing floor | Can hardwood go over it? | How | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood, nailed | Yes | Nail or staple new solid or engineered at 45 to 90 degrees to the old boards, or float engineered over a pad | Height rises 1/2 to 3/4 in; loose or cupped old boards must be fastened or replaced first |
| Sheet vinyl or linoleum | Yes, if flat and adhered | Float or glue engineered over it; nail-down solid only if there is 3/4 in plywood beneath | Pre-1980 sheet vinyl may contain asbestos; leave it undisturbed or test before any removal |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile | Possible, rarely recommended | Glue engineered over flat tile after grinding high spots and filling grout lines, or float over a pad | Height, hollow-sounding cracked tile, and the fact that a bad glue bond fails everywhere at once |
| Floating laminate or LVP | No | Remove it first; a floating floor under a floating floor moves twice | Fast tear-out, usually the cheapest removal there is |
| Carpet | No | Remove carpet, pad, tack strip and staples | Check the subfloor for pet damage before the new wood goes down |
Installation labor is $3.25 per sq ft whichever route we take. Tear-out, plywood, leveling compound and moisture barriers are separate line items in the written quote.
The height problem nobody prices in
Doors and thresholds
New 3/4 inch solid over old 3/4 inch oak raises the floor a full inch above the original height. Interior doors need trimming, exterior doors may not clear at all, and the transition into a tiled bathroom becomes a trip step.
Appliances and cabinets
A dishwasher that slid in with 1/4 inch to spare will be trapped by a floor an inch higher. Toe kicks shrink, the range sits low, and a future fridge may not fit under the cabinets. In Snohomish kitchens we often recommend tearing out just the kitchen and going over the rest.
Stairs
Raising a floor at the top or bottom of a staircase changes the first riser height, which is a code issue and a tripping hazard. Hardwood on stairs is $125 per stair, and going over an old floor may mean rebuilding that first step.
Engineered as the answer
Because engineered hardwood comes in 3/8 and 1/2 inch, it solves most height problems that solid creates. It is also the only sensible option over vinyl or tile since it can be glued or floated instead of nailed.
Snohomish houses and their crawlspaces
Check underneath before you cover anything: Most Snohomish homes sit over a vented crawlspace, and many older farmhouses have damp ones. Covering an old floor traps whatever moisture is coming up through it. We take a moisture reading of the existing floor and the subfloor at every estimate; if the old floor reads above 12 percent, the crawlspace needs a vapor retarder before new wood goes down.
Old fir in downtown Victorians is a special case. It is often the original subfloor and the finish floor at once, with gaps between boards and sometimes a bit of bounce. Nailing new hardwood over it works well and stiffens the house, as long as squeaks and loose boards are screwed down first. Mud and boots come in through the same farm door every day, so the transition where old floor meets new is the spot that fails first; we plan it deliberately.
Price your Snohomish hardwood installation right now
Hardwood Installation Calculator
Installation pricing from our published rate card. Material is quoted separately based on the floor you choose.
Go over it or tear it out: a straight comparison
Go over the old floor
Makes sense when
- Old hardwood is sound, flat and nailed, and height is not a problem at doors
- Sheet vinyl is flat, stuck down and possibly asbestos-backed, so leaving it is safer
- You are installing engineered and can float or glue
- Rooms have no tile transitions or appliances to fight
Tear it out
Makes sense when
- Tile is anything but perfectly flat and sound
- The old floor is a floating laminate or LVP
- Existing hardwood is cupped, water damaged or badly loose
- The kitchen has cabinets and appliances that cannot take an extra inch
Real Snohomish examples with the math
- Clearview 1990s two-story · 1,100 sq ft over old oakEngineered 1/2 inch white oak nailed over sound 2¼ inch red oak strip. Doors trimmed, one exterior threshold rebuilt. No tear-out.1,100 × $3.25 = $3,575 labor; material quoted separately
- Fobes Hill farmhouse · 800 sq ft over 1920s firUnfinished solid oak nailed across the old fir, then sanded and finished on site to match the home. Squeaks screwed down first.800 × $2.75 = $2,200 install + 800 × $3.99 = $3,192 natural finish = $5,392
- Blackmans Lake rambler · 600 sq ft kitchen and dining, tile removedTile torn out, subfloor patched flat, engineered hickory glued down, 14 stairs wrapped to match.600 × $3.25 + 14 × $125 = $3,700 labor; tear-out quoted on site
Mistakes we get called to redo
- Nailing new solid parallel to the old boards. The joints line up, the floor telegraphs every old gap, and it never feels solid. New boards run at an angle or perpendicular to the old ones.
- Gluing engineered over tile without grinding the glaze and filling grout lines. The bond holds on the tile surface and fails at every grout line within a year.
What to ask at the estimate
- What is the moisture reading of the existing floor and the crawlspace side? We check both on every hardwood installation estimate in Snohomish.
- What will the finished height be at every doorway and appliance? Ask for it in inches, room by room, before you sign.
- Is tear-out a separate line? Ours is quoted on site after we see the floor, so the number on the contract is the number you pay.
- Who fixes squeaks and loose boards first? Fastening the old floor is part of our prep, and the whole job carries a 1-year workmanship warranty.
Questions Snohomish homeowners ask about covering old floors
From estimates on Fobes Hill, in Clearview and around Blackmans Lake.
Can you install hardwood directly over old hardwood floors?
Is it cheaper to install hardwood over an existing floor than to remove it?
Can hardwood be installed over ceramic tile?
What about old sheet vinyl or linoleum in a Snohomish farmhouse?
Does the crawlspace matter when covering an old floor?
Can I put solid hardwood over a concrete slab?
Find out what is under your floor before you decide
We come to your Snohomish home, take moisture readings, measure heights at every door and give you a firm written quote for going over or tearing out. Free, no obligation.
Wills Flooring serves Snohomish, Everett, Seattle, Sammamish, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Kirkland and the rest of Snohomish and King County from our Lynnwood showroom. See our hardwood installation service, published price list, nail-down vs glue-down vs floating hardwood, subfloor prep before hardwood and hardwood over a crawlspace.
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