Do Kitchen Cabinets Go On Top Of Flooring

Kitchen base cabinet install on top of flooring decision flooring goes in last.

Do kitchen cabinets go on top of flooring.

If installing a floating floor the answer is simple. A floating floor goes in after the cabinets. Accommodate for the flooring thickness in your toekicks. But if you have to install the flooring first here s a method that will avoid some of the problems i just described.

However when installing a wood flooring nail down or glue down there are more factors to consider. Open frame kitchen cabinets can look more modern or more traditional depending on the design of the kitchen and the hardware of the cabinets. This lowers the risk of peaking in the future. Those are all good reasons to lay a kitchen floor after the cabinets are in.

On new kitchen installs or where the cabinets are not yet installed or are being replaced i always install the flooring first then install the cabinets on top and trim out with quarter round or base shoe if needed to hide gaps due to un level floor conditions or make up a separate kick cut to fit and install when the cabinets are in place. Install the cabinets first because heavy cabinetry cannot sit on top of a floating floor or it will restrict movement and increase the chances of flooring separation. When installing cabinets first you need to tell your cabinet makers counter top installers of the clearance needed for the dishwasher with the extra added height of the floor. Why pay top dollar for imported hardwood that remains hidden.

The proper installation would be to install the cabinets and then install the flooring around the cabinets. I predict that open frame kitchen cabinets will go back to being centrally display cabinets in due time. It is always recommended to install cabinets before floating flooring rather than installing cabinets on top of floating floors. To keep the floor flush consider installing a different cheaper type of flooring.

Will the open frame kitchen cabinet trend last in 2020 and beyond. Installing the cabinets on the flooring could bind the floor due to the weight of the cabinets. Installing over glue down floors is not a concern. Installing kitchen base cabinets before flooring can be a money saving advantage.

Go ahead and install your kitchen cabinets directly on the cement subfloor. If you are going to put in a hardwood floor and it is a total of 1 1 2 and you want 4 toe kick then the kick should be 5 1 2 tall and the cabinets should be 37 1 2 tall from the concrete. For example most of the costly finished hardwood flooring is usually placed sight unseen underneath the cabinets.