Do You Install Kitchen Cabinets Before Tile Flooring

Installing the tile before the cabinetry means the newly installed tile floor will likely be the workbench for the other trades involved in the project as well as being susceptible to abuse and damage.

Do you install kitchen cabinets before tile flooring. Install cabinets first to avoid this issue. Otherwise the cabinet toe kicks and countertop will be short. The flooring contractor will not have to work around existing cabinetry so the work can go that much faster. If you install wall to wall flooring the panels may run out of room to expand.

Arrange your kitchen before laying down panels for a scratch free floor. Then install cabinets then the tiles can go down. Just make sure the durock or tile backer is down first. The finish can be applied after the cabinet installation lessening concerns about marring the floors during the remodel.

Installing the floors before the cabinets has some advantages. Installing the tile before the cabinetry means additional square footage for the installer but less detail and trim work. Install tile under cabinets and floor based appliances with a 2 inset this allows you to move the pattern and grout lines where needed. 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.

Mark the layout of the cabinets and all floor based appliances. But it works either way. There are a couple quality items to consider when installing the cabinets before flooring. Shim up base cabinets keeping in mind the underlayment and flooring thickness the base cabinets should be raised up to accommodate the thickness after installation of the floor.

Many types of floors including click lock hardwood and floating flooring expand due to changes in temperature and humidity.