Floor covering under kitchen cabinets?

Hi All

I have had a flooring contractor recommend that I put my kitchen in (on the yellow tongue floor) and then put the floor boards around it. Rather than putting down a full room of floor boards and then sitting the kitchen on top.

There were two reasons:

1) Kitchens have a large mass and this will affect the movement of the floor because the rest of the room won't have that mass pinning it in place.

I think this is crap ... if the boards want to expand ... they'll expand!

2) If the baorsd don't go in last there is more chance they can get damaged by a contractor installing the kitchen etc.

True I guess.


Any comments? I'd be if I purchased the house in the future and wanted to change the kitchen but found there was no flooring under it! Just doesn't seem teh right way to do it to me.

You can go either way, my personal preference would be to lay floor first then install kitchen.

When I use to install kitchens, we came across both situations and I think kitchen after floor was laid was more common.

In all new floor installations the floor was laid with a quick sand to level first then kitchen installed minus the kickboards. Floor was then finished and kickboards were installed after a few weeks.

Reasons not to:

1. The kicker will be shorter by the thickness of the flooring
2. More fiddly, especially cutting in around projections like side panels adjacent to the oven and/or fridge
3. No skirting to cover expansion gap adjacent to kicker (unless you put one in)

I suppose with the wind up feet, you could put in the flooring and then install the kickers afterwards, making sure the cupboards are all in at the approriate height.

Silent, at the time of ordering kitchens, you need to specify if flooring is down or not so that you can have kickers and endpanels or fridge panel longer or shorter to suit.

If no flooring is down at time of installation all the panels were made longer by whatever thickness the flooring was.

Whatever method is chosen, the kitchen will still be at the same height from the Finished floor level

Well there you go. Learn something new every day.

I still wouldn't do it.

My advice is, lay the boards prior to the kitchen install. Give the area where the kitchen is going a quick bit of a sand and then apply a coat of whatever you plan on finishing the flooring with, for example polyurethane.

Doing this ensures that under the kitchen is sealed and helps protect what would normally be raw boards from moisture and the like.

G'day OBBob,

In my experience, you will be better off putting the floor in last:

1. Damage from contractors--a real concern. At a minimum if otherwise, you must lay down some protective cover for the duration.

2. Future reno--you can easily remove the flooring to install new. Cutting flooring against the kitchen edges will be a lot more difficult than cutting flooring to fit the kitchen now.

3. Lower materials cost--less sq metres of flooring needed. (Though may be offset by higher labour to install?)

Of course, it will work either way. :)

Hi all

My comments - My Tassie Oak layed after the Kitchen (plank on ply), my reno - laying floor after installing kitchen(floating solid T&G bamboo) .

I am doing it last so there is no chance of any damage from the work men/women - Oh that's me!!:2tsup: Oh and the carpet guys will not lay carpet B4 a wood floor only after.

Celeste

If the kitchen installers damage your nice new boards they will have to fix it, they'd be pretty lousy installers if they didnt!

1) Kitchens have a large mass and this will affect the movement of the floor because the rest of the room won't have that mass pinning it in place. BE CARFULL OF THAT CONTRACTOR , HE IS Bull SH*%()G YOU.

I think this is crap ... if the boards want to expand ... they'll expand! CORRECT

2) If the baorsd don't go in last there is more chance they can get damaged by a contractor installing the kitchen etc. GRRRRRR, CRAP and MORE crap

True I guess. Nah! I have never seen a kitchen guy even come close to damaging a raw timber floor. If had been sanded then coated prior to kitchen install, then their may be a chance it will get scratched, but far out.... timber is strong.

Any comments? I'd be if I purchased the house in the future and wanted to change the kitchen but found there was no flooring under it! Just doesn't seem teh right way to do it to me.[/quote]