Can You Tile Over Linoleum on Concrete Floors?

Moisture

• Concrete breathes naturally, taking in moisture and evaporating it out, also known as sweating. This is an important part of concrete’s natural behavior. While you can install linoleum directly on top of concrete you must ensure that the slab is dry enough to allow the adhesive on the backs of the linoleum tiles to dry; otherwise, the product will never adhere properly to the slab or floor.

Moisture Test

• A simple moisture test you can do at home to check if your floors are dry enough is to tape a piece of plastic down on the floor with masking or duct tape. Use a roughly 2-foot-wide piece of plastic sheeting and make sure it's completely taped down with no room for air to get under the plastic. Let it sit for three or four days and then check for condensation on the underside of the plastic. If there is water your slab or concrete floor is too wet to use for linoleum.

Flatness

• Concrete needs to be in good condition for you to install linoleum on top of it. This means it needs to be completely flat (not necessarily level, which is different than flat) across its surface so there is no lippage between linoleum tiles. All cracks and voids should be filled in, all expansion joints should be caulked and self-leveling compound should be used if you need to fill in voids or low spots in the floor.

Cleanliness

• The adhesive used with linoleum will only bond with concrete if the slab or floor is completely clean. If you have to do any prep work to the slab you will need to wash it down with water and a mop as well as vacuum it to remove all particulates. Dust particles and other types of debris will keep the tiles from bonding properly and cause certain pieces to be higher than others if something is trapped beneath. Once the slab is clean you can apply linoleum adhesive and install the linoleum tiles or sheets.