When it comes to kitchen remodels, many homeowners wonder if it's better to install cabinets or hardwood floors first. The answer depends on the floor you choose and what you want for future kitchen projects. If you are going to install a hardwood floating floor (or any floating floor, such as cork or laminate), you must install the floor AFTER installing the kitchen cabinets. Instead, we suggest that you install your cabinets on top of your hardwood floors.
This saves you the hassle of measuring and reduces the risk of error. It also saves you the hassle of cutting your wooden floor boards to the exact measurements once the cabinets are installed. When doing a kitchen project, the first question that comes up is should hardwood floors be installed before or after cabinets? The right answer is not as simple as it seems. We must first consider how your hardwood floors will be installed. Does it float, stick or stick? If you're installing a floating floor, the answer is simple.
Install cabinets first, as heavy cabinets cannot be placed on a floating floor or they will restrict movement and increase the chances of the floor coming apart. However, when installing a hardwood floor, nail or glue, there are more factors to consider. When first installing the floor, it will not be necessary to use moldings to avoid finger kicks, unless the floor itself is very out of date. However, cabinet installers use levels, hardwood installers don't. Occasionally, after installation, one side of the cabinet may be higher than the other. This can be solved if the molding carpenter draws the tip on the outline of the finished floor.
However, some lower quality cabinets do not have separate tips. How often do people do kitchen remodels? In most cases, the original owner left a long time ago when a remodel occurs. Why is this any of your business? The new owner will probably do something different anyway. Another thought is how hardwood floors change color. Let's say the ground has been covered for 15 years.
Once the older cabinets are removed, some hardwoods will show an extreme color difference. You'll swear it's not the same. These color variations cannot be sanded either. Protecting floors is a great option while the carpenter is working, but plain old cardboard or kraft paper don't protect it enough. This is especially true in the case of prefinished hardwoods and can be a problem in the case of unfinished woods that still need to be sanded and finished.
Cabinets must be transported and placed before they are ready to be lifted and installed. Sometimes they are placed in a corner, dents occur. The screws are lost and stepped on. Masonite boards are ideal for covering floors. Another drawback of this procedure is to carry out repairs when the floor goes under the cabinets. Installing kitchen base cabinets before laying the floor can be a money-saving advantage.
For example, most expensive finished hardwood floors are generally placed unseen underneath cabinets. Why pay a lot of money for imported hardwood that stays hidden? To keep the floor flush, consider installing a different, cheaper type of floor underneath cabinets and appliances, or even plywood elevators. Installing the floor before the cabinets is the best option for most hardwood floors. When professionals install floors and then cabinets, it's easier to bring everything to standard heights. It's also a safer installation process for your cabinets, as you won't run the risk of them being damaged when professionals install the floors. We have dismantled the kitchen and will install a new floor, but it will not go under the cabinets.
Even if you just want to have the flexibility to reorganize the kitchen or bathroom, it's a good idea to make sure that the floor underneath the cabinets matches the rest of the floor. Sometimes you don't need to gut a kitchen and remove existing cabinets and appliances because they're in acceptable condition. Keep in mind that this means that you are doing a complete remodel in the kitchen, replacing both cabinets and floors at once. When it comes down to it, why should you install your kitchen base cabinets before laying down your hardwood floors? The main reason is because it looks better! If due to design circumstances (for example an odd height of an appliance or construction anomaly) it is necessary to raise overall height of your floor and have higher than normal finish (2 inches or more), consider installing your floor before placing your kitchen cabinets and appliances. There are also some advantages as to why you might want to stick with traditional option of placing kitchen base cabinets before your floor covering. Cabinets may not be able to be moved during renovations or floor replacements in which case your floor may stop in cabinet. Ultimately, reason why you should install your floor before your kitchen cabinets is because it looks better! Installing kitchen base cabinets before laying down your hardwood floors can also be money-saving advantage as most expensive finished hardwoods are generally placed unseen underneath cabinets.
