I am going to replace the carpet in my three seasons porch with vinyl plank from Costco. I pulled up the carpet and found a layer of carpet underneath. Should I remove both, or could I install the plank over the bottom layer? I'd have to remove the tack strips. I'm worried there's a reason they didn't remove the bottom layer to begin with. It seems to be totally glued down.
Could I install the vinyl flooring over the top layer?
Best Answer
Follow the vinyl flooring manufacturer’s instructions.
I doubt they recommend installing their flooring over old carpet, because the carpet can compress when loaded and deform their flooring.
If you sit a table on the flooring for very long, 1) it will show a deformed area around the leg of the table from the weight of the table, and 2) it will not spring back into its original shape once the table is moved.
I’d remove everything down to the slab/subfloor and fix anything (including possible moisture issues) that I find.