We are trying to repair the kitchen floor in our new house. When we pulled up the linoleum rug (which covered only half the floor), we discovered there was tile below. My husband busted up part of the tile to see if the floor under it matched the hardwood in the rest of the house (including the other half of the kitchen). Apparently the tiles were placed on top of a layer of plaster. There is a wooden floor/subfloor below the plaster but when the tiles and plaster are removed, it leaves the floor uneven with the hardwood by almost an inch. We were going to put down plywood to even the floor and put the new flooring (laminate tiles) on top of that but after checking prices, that's not really feasible for us on our budget. Does anyone have any cheaper solutions?
the only lasting way to do it is 1/2' plywood in 2 layers laid out so the seams don't line up. remodeling is EXPENSIVE trust me i know. you'll just have to live with it until you can afford to do it right.
if your down to the sub floor, you can put down 1/4 inch backer board on top of the sub floor. then the difference can be made up with the laminate. laminate floor comes in different thicknesses. when you say your husband busted up the tiles, do you mean ceramic tiles? ceramic tiles would be set in a layer of mortar. the laminate does not have to be exactly the same height as the existing wood floor. you can put a transition piece between the new laminate and the existing wood floor. you will put a transition piece between the old and new floor anyway. it's easier if the floors match, but they don't have to be exact. there's molding or thresh hold strips that go between the new and old floor. they come for floors that are even as well as uneven.
