Laminate flooring cannot be installed over carpet. Laminate flooring is a floating floor system. Floating flooring is designed to cover any floor surface without being fixed to it. This makes laminate flooring possible to cover sub-floor such as hardwood, concrete, plywood and certain types of vinyl and ceramic. But it can’t cover carpet. While it is possible to install laminate over industrial carpet, any other type must be removed along with the padding underneath. Installing over plush carpet types creates too much flexibility under the laminate flooring, which can cause the locking system to break due to too much padding.