Flooring, Drywall & Interior Finishes in North Hollywood
Flooring and drywall in North Hollywood, answering whether new floors can cover old tile and what the answer depends on, with the subfloor checked first.
Can the new floor go straight over the old tile? Sometimes it can, and sometimes the tile has to come up. The answer comes from what lies under it. Solid, flat tile with no loose pieces can take a thin underlayment and a floating plank. Hollow-sounding tile, cracked grout lines or a rising surface mean removal first. We tap and test on a North Hollywood visit before recommending either route.
Tapping tells the story
A tap with a mallet or a coin carries a solid ring over bonded tile and a dull hollow sound over loose tile. We check cracks for width and whether they follow grout lines or run through tile, because through-cracks usually mean the slab or subfloor has moved. A moisture reading on a slab tells us whether a floating floor can sit over it. Height also matters, since an added layer raises the floor at doors and cabinets. Where tile stays, door casings are undercut so the new plank slides beneath them, which gives a clean edge without a gap to fill.
When it stays, when it goes
Sound tile can stay under a leveled skim and underlayment, which saves demolition dust and time. Loose or cracked tile comes up, and the substrate is repaired, ground flat and primed. Removal also exposes what the old setting bed hid, such as patched slab or a damp edge. Either way, the decision and the reasons are written into the quote, with demolition as its own line. Appliances and cabinets set the final height, so we measure those first. Photos of the opened tile go in the file.
About our flooring, drywall & interior finishes workEverything we build in North Hollywood
Flooring, Drywall & Interior Finishes in North Hollywood: questions
Our check starts with a straightedge, a listen for bounce, and a look at what lies beneath, whether joists and posts over a crawlspace or a slab with cracks and a moisture reading. Findings are itemized before the finish so preparation reads next to the flooring.
A patched crack comes back because the symptom was covered and the wall kept moving. Shrinking wood, screws that never bit, a flexed header or a shifted footing could be behind it. We read the pattern, and any structural cause is reported before more tape goes on.
Flooring takes its figure from room area plus a waste margin, drywall from wall and ceiling area. Tile removal, leveling, subfloor repair and framing corrections each carry a line. Keep the old tile and its removal line drops out, which the quote makes visible.
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Tell us about the lot and the job. A builder replies by phone or email to set up a visit.