Install Flooring Before Cabinets

With a floating floor you install after and cabinets should be raised by adding plywood underneath them before the cabinets are installed.

Install flooring before cabinets.

The flooring contractor will not have to work around existing cabinetry so the work can go that much faster. Install plywood in remaining area to exact height of tile floor to finish cabinet install. Install tile under cabinets and floor based appliances with a 2 inset this allows you to move the pattern and grout lines where needed. If you foresee yourself craving layout change we advise you cover your kitchen in wall to wall flooring first.

The finish can be applied after the cabinet installation lessening concerns about marring the floors during the remodel. No wasted tile and appliances can me moved for repairs without problems. The flooring will be able to expand and contract beneath the toekick without revealing a gap. This assumes that the floating floor has a significant height.

Cabinets and appliances without flooring underneath are much harder to move. In most cases given standard flooring heights you will install the cabinets before the floor covering. Installing the floors before the cabinets has some advantages. Floor covering or finish flooring is the surface that you see and walk on not the subfloor under the underlayment or underlayment between subfloor and finished layer.

If you have any more remodeling questions the design experts at cabinets to go are always happy to help. If you are installing click lock vinyl plank flooring you should not install under cabinets. Since your floor will be floating on the subfloor and connected solely by the locking system it needs space to expand and contract with temperature changes. Typically cabinets come before flooring.