Can I install new flooring on top of the existing one?

In many cases yes, when the substrate is sound and flat. Floating laminate, wet-area-specific microcement and thin porcelain can be installed over the existing floor. If there is unevenness or the previous floor is broken, it must be lifted first.

Which floor should I pick for a living room with underfloor heating?

Finishes approved for underfloor heating: porcelain (best transmitter), laminates and engineered woods specifically marked as compatible, and microcement. Traditional solid-timber floors are not recommended over underfloor heating.

Levelling and finish

Floor installation and flooring in Málaga

The floor is the surface that takes the most use in a home. We handle substrate levelling and installation of laminate, engineered wood, large-format porcelain or microcement, with the matching expansion joints and skirting.

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What it involves

Changing the floor is one of the highest-impact visual interventions of a renovation, but also one of the most constrained by the substrate: available depth, flatness, presence of underfloor heating, position of water points and transitions with other floor types.

Material choice depends on use. In dry areas with medium traffic, AC4/AC5 laminate is the most efficient flooring; engineered wood brings warmth; large-format porcelain is the standard choice in contemporary homes; and microcement solves the cases where there is no room to raise the floor level.

01 Concept

The substrate rules the finish

A poorly levelled substrate wrecks the floor, however expensive it is. The prior self-levelling or screed phase sets the final flatness and, above all, prevents noise and hollow spots over time.

Two execution logics

Floating flooring vs. bonded flooring

Residential floor finishes fall into two broad execution logics: floating (resting on the substrate without adhesion) or bonded (chemically joined to the substrate). The choice drives timelines, required flatness and acoustic behaviour.

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Floating (laminate, engineered wood)

Boards assembled with click system over an acoustic underlay, with no adhesive to the substrate. Installed over existing flooring when it is sound and flat.

check_circle Fast install: 2 to 3 days for a 90 m² home.
check_circle Mandatory perimeter expansion joint to absorb temperature and humidity movement.
check_circle Can be dismantled and reused if the click joint is not damaged.

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Bonded (porcelain, microcement)

Tiles bonded with flexible cement adhesive to the levelled substrate, or microcement applied in thin coats over a stable substrate with primer.

check_circle Substrate flatness is critical: 3 to 5 mm unevenness causes lippage on large formats.
check_circle Compatible with underfloor heating as an optimal heat transmitter by conduction.
check_circle Very long service life but complex replacement — removal damages the substrate.

Substrate and tile

A flat substrate is half of a lasting floor

Self-levelling screed, double-buttered adhesive and expansion joints prevent cracks and hollow tiles. The chosen format is only part of the result.

check_circle Self-levelling screed to level the substrate
check_circle Deformable C2TE adhesive, double buttered
check_circle Perimeter expansion joint on every room
check_circle Grouting selected by floor use and traffic

Home areas

Which floor goes in each room

There is no universal floor: each room has different use, humidity and comfort requirements. This is the usual logic in Costa del Sol residential homes.

bathtub Bathroom

Anti-slip porcelain class 2 or 3 (R10-R11) with slope to drain. In flush showers, waterproofing membrane before the floor.

kitchen Kitchen

Large-format porcelain (60×60 or 80×80) with minimum joint for easy cleaning. In open-plan kitchens, continuity with the living-room floor.

chair_alt Living and corridors

Porcelain, engineered wood or AC4-AC5 laminate depending on use. High-traffic areas require multilayer engineered wood or commercial laminate, not light domestic.

bed Bedrooms

Floating engineered wood or AC4 laminate for acoustic and thermal comfort barefoot. Alternative: technical carpet, less common today in new homes.

deck Terrace

Technical anti-slip exterior porcelain (class 3) with drainage falls or technical treated-timber decking on a ventilated structure.

stairs Stairs

Ceramic steps with anti-slip nosing, or solid-timber steps with cladded riser. Never floating laminate on stairs (not designed for it).

Typical scope

What this service includes

We install every standard flooring family for residential use and design the transition between them.

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AC4 / AC5 laminate flooring

Floating click boards, acoustic underlay and solid or lacquered skirting. Standard installation over an existing screed without lifting.

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Engineered-wood flooring

Multilayer board with a natural-wood top layer, floating installation with underlay and oiled or site-varnished finish.

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Large-format porcelain

60×60, 80×80 or 120×120 tiles bonded with flexible cement adhesive, minimum grout joint and levelling with crosspieces.

layers

Microcement

Continuous floor finish of 2–3 mm, applied in several coats over the existing substrate. Resolves cases where there is no room to raise the floor.

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Substrate preparation

Self-levelling mortar or traditional screed before the finish. Essential when the substrate has unevenness or residue from the previous floor.

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Skirting and transitions

Lacquered or veneered skirting, transition profiles between different materials and expansion joints on large surfaces.

Before ordering material

Four variables we decide before ordering tiles or planks

Flooring surprises appear when material is ordered before resolving four constraints of substrate and use.

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Available depth

Height difference with adjacent rooms and existing doors. A thick finish may force shortening door leaves or using threshold transitions.

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Underfloor heating

Floor compatibility with underfloor heating (not every engineered wood accepts it) and thermal resistance (R) of the assembly, decisive for performance.

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Substrate moisture

Hygrometer measurement before installing engineered wood or laminate: residual moisture in a recent screed causes cupping.

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Expansion joints

Perimeter in laminate, intermediate in large-format porcelain or rooms over 50 m². Without them the floor cracks from thermal tension.

Installation phases

From strip-out to skirting: the standard sequence

Floor installation has very defined phases. Skipping levelling or substrate cleaning compromises the result no matter how high-end the tile is.

construction 01
Removal of existing floor

Controlled lifting of the previous floor when needed, removal of adhesive residue and full cleaning of the original substrate.
straighten 02
Levelling with self-leveller

Substrate priming and pouring of self-levelling mortar or traditional screed to correct flatness. Decisive phase for bonded floors.
water_drop 03
Waterproofing in wet areas

In bathrooms and kitchens: waterproof membrane with bands at wall and bench junctions, before the floor finish.
layers 04
Floor placement

Setting out the layout, bonding with C2 flexible cement adhesive (porcelain), click assembly (laminate) or layered application (microcement).
format_shapes 05
Skirting and transitions

Perimeter lacquered or veneered skirting, transition profiles between rooms with different floors and sealing of junctions with sanitary fittings.

Choosing the material

Each floor type has a right use

Porcelain, engineered wood, laminate and vinyl behave very differently under water, heat and daily traffic. Choosing by room avoids problems after a few years.

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Porcelain tile

For bathrooms, kitchens and outdoor areas with real water contact.

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Engineered wood

For living rooms and bedrooms, compatible with underfloor heating.

layers

Laminate AC5

For high-traffic rooms where impact resistance matters most.

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Vinyl SPC

For reforms without works: thin, waterproof and quick to install.

Worth knowing

Before deciding the scope

A few technical decisions must be closed before choosing the floor finish.

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Available depth

The height difference with doors and transitions to other rooms may force a thinner finish (microcement) or lowering the substrate.

thermostat

Underfloor heating

Over underfloor heating only approved finishes are suitable: not every engineered wood or laminate is compatible.

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Humid areas

In bathrooms and kitchens the floor must be watertight. Porcelain is the standard; wet-area-specific microcement also works.

opacity

Joints and expansion

Large surfaces need expansion joints — perimeter (laminate) or intermediate (large-format porcelain) — to absorb movement.

In depth

Flooring in Málaga: four families and the prior levelling that decides the result

In domestic properties four flooring families coexist: large-format porcelain bonded with flexible cement adhesive, floating multilayer engineered wood with natural-wood top layer, AC4-AC5 laminate with click system and continuous microcement applied in thin coats. Each family has recommended use, substrate requirements and moisture behaviour. Porcelain is the standard option in kitchen, bathrooms and high-traffic areas of Costa del Sol contemporary homes; engineered wood brings comfort to bedrooms and living room; laminate solves renovations on a tight budget; microcement is the option when there is no height to gain.

The variable that decides the final result is not the flooring: it is the substrate. A badly levelled substrate wrecks the finish no matter how expensive. In large-format porcelain, a 3-5 mm unevenness causes lippage that cannot be corrected afterwards; in floating engineered wood or laminate, board movement generates clicks and hollow spots; in microcement, any substrate microcrack shows through the surface if the base coat is not properly reinforced. For that reason, every installation starts with self-levelling mortar or traditional screed before the final finish.

In wet areas the floor is part of the waterproofing system, not just an aesthetic finish. For flush-floor showers we apply a prior waterproofing membrane (Schlüter type or similar) with bands at junctions before the floor finish. In bathrooms with perimeter drains we mark a minimum fall of 1.5% towards the outlet. In kitchens open to the living area we resolve visual continuity with the same porcelain or a well-marked design transition joint. For underfloor heating we select approved floors with the right thermal resistance: porcelain is the optimal transmitter, but specific engineered woods and laminates work if the manufacturer marking is verified.

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