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[lilypadfrog]

My tile floor needs an expensive grout repair. Its going to cost about $1200 to fix a 20 x 20"ish"floor. There is no guarantee of success or that this repair will last. Does anyone know if a wood floor can be installed directly over the tile? I guess I am considering changing the entire floor if there is no guarantee of success with the grout repair. They would have to remove all grout by hand then re-install. Once done it would need tp be sealed. Opinions?

[Abrowneyegirl]

For that price I would try the repair. That is a GREAT price for what the are doing.

Grout will always need to be sealed and resealed every year or so; UNLESS you use epoxy grout, it does not need to be sealed. Do down-side to epoxy grout is cost, it is about 8 times more expensive than traditional grout and not everyone knows how to work with it.

[ECBG]

I'd call your local home improvement center and ask.

[Mindy D]

Yes, they have wood floors specifically to lay over sub floors like tile floors, they are called engineered wood floors, but they might cost more than grout repair. Take a look on You Tube for some great videos about grout repair. Here in Florida there is so much ceramic tile, and plenty of contractors. Good and bad. Shop around, talk to friends, check websites from trusted stores and flooring manufacturers. Check with referral companies such as Home Advisors and Angie's List. Talk to friends and neighbors. If you LOVE your tile, call home improvement centers or local, reputable tile professionals and get it regrouted. Check You Tube videos and the web to arm yourself with background information, first. The wood floors can be seen on a great website HOUZZ. Fantastic home decor site, you will love it. Try looking at Loews and Home Depot websites and in the stores, afterwards.

[WSfan]

Ceramic tile is pretty thick, and not completely flat. So, my answer would be no. The tile would probably have to be removed. My sister recently had that done in her kitchen. It was a very time consuming job, and not easy to do.

[Mindy D]

I just saw a photo of a gorgeous engineered wood floor called KINGWOOD by Shaw. Google it and see it in Google Images. Also saw a beautiful engineered wood floor made by Mannington. Just to add to this I was looking at Mannington and I saw some reviews that said they don't honor their warranty, so check for yourself and read reviews.

[depglass]

We have Mannington laminate in bathroom. Horrible stuff. Its lifting on the seams. It was also twice as high per square foot as the Harmonics laminate we got from Costco for the rest of the house.

[lilypadfrog]

Mindy D I have tried both Home Advisor and Angies List. I couldn't find anyone willing to come out and even look at the floor. Finally went to Home Depot, Lowes, a few of the nicer flooring places but all I could get was a verbal estimate. I ended up getting a person to come out to take a look. He gave me that 1200 price but he doesn't even do floors on a full time basis. Hes basically a nice guy who gave me a price with a 90 day guarantee. If I pay that much or more, I would sure like more than a 90 day guarantee. I love my tile so actually be willing to pay more for someone experienced. I just need to have a better looking floor so that's why I asked about the hardwood.

[gardenman]

I would be hesitant putting any wood floor over a tile floor unless you applied a thin layer of self leveling concrete or a layer of plywood over the top of the tile floor. Over time, the depressed grout lines would likely telegraph through the flooring on top if you don't have a smooth subfloor. Any floor you put over tile would have to be a floating floor and those have a bit of a history of telegraphing subfloor issues.

You never specified what's wrong with the old grout. If it's merely discolored I might be more inclined to paint it. Painting is a bit tedious, but very doable. If the grout is failing/cracking/crumbling then you may need to explore what's going on under the tiles to cause an issue. Grout is generally the weakest part of a tile job (it's typically pretty chalk-like) and if you're seeing serious enough problems with the grout to require its replacement there's likely something else going on.

Replacing grout yourself isn't an impossible job. Removing the old grout is the tedious part, but there are grout removing tools available that make it somewhat easier. Installing new grout is really easy and fast. You might want to watch a few videos on the process to determine if this is something you'd be comfortable doing. It's not a bad job at all.

[lilypadfrog]

Gardenman, you are right. I never said what was wrong with my grout. When I had the tile installed 5 years ago, the company had an inexperienced person mix and grout the tile. This person did not mix the grout correctly. It was too thin. So over a months time I found empty places, almost like a bubble bursting and leaving a hole. In the time that I was trying to get them to accept responsibility, they went out of business. I now have, after 5 yesrs, some grout lines with 3 to 4 inch "holes". I have tiled and grouted before so do understand what happened. Wish I had been here when he was working. I can no longer do it myself due to an injury to my knees. I called two more people today but had to leave messages. Hopefully I will get an answer. ime