If you recently moved into a new living space and the kitchen tiles aren’t just doing it for you, ripping them out and changing your flooring isn’t the only way to go.
You can cover your ugly kitchen tiles with flooring options like rugs, stencils and so on, doing this would not only save you money but save you the stress of removing your tiles.
Covering ugly flooring is also a renter-friendly way to make decorative changes to a home that you don’t plan on staying in too long.
With that said, let’s take a look at the several flooring options you can use to cover your ugly kitchen floor and how exactly you can incorporate each option.
10 Things You Can Use to Cover Ugly Kitchen Floor:
You can use the below floor coats or coverings to change the appearance of or modify your kitchen floor, these options are super affordable and very easy to put in place.
- Area Rugs
- Canvas Floor Cloth
- Vinyl flooring
- Floor Stencils
- Varnish
- Tiles
- Laminate flooring
- Epoxy Resin
- Floor Panels
- Tile Stickers
How Can I Cover My Floor Tiles Without Removing Them?
The flooring options listed above can be used on your floor tiles without you having to remove them. Here’s a rundown on how to use each option to cover ugly floors.
- Area Rugs
If you’re looking for a low-effort way to cover your ugly kitchen tiles or any undesired flooring then you should probably consider getting an area rug.
These floor coverings come in different, sizes, colors, and patterns, and they’re not so expensive.
Please note that an area rug placed in a kitchen needs more maintenance than one placed in a bedroom or hallway.
This is because it’d stain or get dirty frequently due to the activities that typically go on in a kitchen.
When choosing a rug, make sure you pick a size according to the dimensions of your kitchen and go for something with a color scheme that can match your design concept.
- Canvas Floor Cloth
A canvas floor cloth is a piece of painted canvas that can be used to cover not just tiles, but linoleum, and vinyl.
This flooring option is a great alternative to a rug because it doesn’t wear easily, and it has tougher fibers that can be easily swept and mopped, making it perfect for a kitchen space.
You can get a canvas floor cloth of any design you like from any reputable online outlet but they’re a little costly.
If none of the designs online are appealing to you and you’re feeling creative, you can get a plain canvas cloth and paint it to your liking. Doing this would also save you a lot of money.
Canvas floor cloths can also be referred to as, wax cloths, oilcloths, and painted canvas.
- Vinyl Flooring
This flooring option is just what you need if you’re looking for something highly-durable, low maintenance, and water-resistant.
Vinyl floorings are not so expensive to install and are 100% ideal for a kitchen space.
These floor coverings come in different forms namely, sheet flooring, tile flooring, and plank flooring.
When installing this flooring option make sure you use an adhesive that is not so strong, this would enable you to take them out at a later date with ease, if the need arises.
If you know you’d like to take the vinyl out later on avoid grouting as well, as this would permanently lock it to the tile. You can get a square foot of vinyl flooring for a dollar or less.
- Floor Stencils
Floor stencils are a great way to improve the appearance of tiles. You can place your stencil over your tiles and paint or paint your floors first before proceeding to do the stencils.
Before covering your kitchen tile with stencils you’re going to have to prep your floor thoroughly.
The first thing you’re going to have to do is to sand your tiles with either sandpaper or a sanding machine, this would take the glaze off your tile and help the paint stick.
Once you’ve sanded your floors, clean them thoroughly with some concentrated cleaner or degreaser, then proceed to use painters’ tape to mask off areas you don’t want paint on.
There are two types of paint you can use successfully on tiled floors, latex paint and charcoal chalked paint.
Paint your tiles with any stencil of your choice and leave it to dry. Once dry, apply some coats of polyurethane or polyacrylic sealant.
- Varnish
Covering your ugly kitchen tiles with varnish is a great way to give it some shine, protect it from stains and make your kitchen floors super easy to clean.
All you need to do is clean your tiles thoroughly, apply a coat or several coats of varnish and leave it to dry for a day or two.
If you’re going with this flooring cover you’re going to have to re-varnish your floor on an annual basis to maintain the glossy and vibrant appearance.
- Tiles
It is very possible to tile over tiles if your preexisting tiles are in good condition, that is, if they are evenly fitted, don’t have any cracks, and show no signs of water retention.
Before you set out tiling over your ugly kitchen tiles, you must assess your older tiles closely, and look out for surface irregularities, discolorations, or the growth of mildew.
If your preexisting tiles have the above issues, then tiling over them isn’t a good idea, as the new tiles wouldn’t sit evenly, or worse, they’d begin to rot after some time.
Once you’ve assessed your older tiles and they appear to be in good condition, you can proceed to prepare the surface of your old tiles.
Make sure you make use of a mastic adhesive when placing your tiles and carry out all the protective procedures necessary for a successful installation.
- Laminate Flooring
While laminate flooring isn’t the absolute best option for a kitchen floor, because of its lack of moisture resistance, it can still do a decent job at covering up your ugly kitchen tiles.
This flooring option is super strong, it’s resistant to stain and scratches and doesn’t fade easily. With adequate underlayment, it can withstand moisture to a considerable degree.
Installing an underlayment beneath it also makes it more comfortable to walk on and reduces the chances of warping.
Laminate is super easy to maintain and is relatively cheap to acquire and install.
- Epoxy Resin
Epoxy resin does pretty much what tile varnish does. It makes your tiles shinier and more appealing and protects them from stains.
Coating your tiles with layers of this resin not only makes your tiles easier to maintain but helps even out cracked or unleveled spots on your flooring.
This floor coating can be used on any type of tile, be it old or new.
It is impermeable and water-resistant and provides its users with some design liberty, as it can be mixed with various colors and filling materials.
- Floor Panels
This flooring option is super easy to install and remove. It’s durable and doesn’t wear or tear easily.
Floor panels can be used to successfully cover kitchen tiles, but you must have in mind that they are quite thin, so you’d most definitely feel the contours of your tiles against your feet.
While it’s not so easy for water to seep into this floor cover, this floor cover isn’t exactly waterproof, so make sure you clean it up after every kitchen session.
Floor panels are super easy to maintain, when installing them make use of an adhesive that isn’t so strong.
- Tile Stickers
The last but not the least flooring option on our list are floor stickers or peel-and-stick tiles.
Tile stickers kind of look and feel like linoleum but they might be just what you need to make your kitchen more visually appealing.
With about $50 you can get all the tile stickers you need to get started on your kitchen. They’re super easy to install and takedown.
All you need to do is cut them to the size of your kitchen floor, lay them down, and apply each piece with some adhesive.
Final Thoughts
Covering kitchen tiles is one of the easiest home modifications to carry out.
If the property you’re staying in is rented you should probably run your home modification desires by your landlord to find out whether it’s permitted.
You can also go over your lease agreement to have an idea of what is allowed and what is not.
We hope you found this article helpful and wish you the best of luck in covering your ugly kitchen tiles.
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