It is possible to change out areas of your subfloor without removing your kitchen cabinets, but it must be done very carefully and probably with professional guidance.
No you do not have to remove the cabinets to install new flooring. Most likely you will have to remove existing flooring and underlayment for hardwood and clearances but not cabinets. There are trims and moldings that are used to cover the edges.
In most cases, the cabinets are installed before the floor covering but after the subfloor and underlayment. The floor covering or finish is usually cut to fit and butted against the cabinets, with a small gap between the two that is covered by nailing a shoe molding or baseboard to the bottom of the base cabinets.
You might ask yourself: Can I replace kitchen flooring without removing cabinets? Yes, just make sure that you cut the flooring cleanly with a tile saw so it aligns with the cabinet base. Replacing kitchen flooring without removing cabinets saves you time and money.
Ultimately, hardwood flooring allows you to have the option of installing underneath cabinets. This is because hardwood flooring is secured to the subfloor and does not float like newer vinyl or laminates. Since it is secured to the subfloor, you don't have to worry about having heavy cabinets on top of the flooring.
You'll run into more remodeling issues down the road if you put in the cabinets first. What if you need to change out appliances or you decide to do additional remodeling down the road? Putting down the floor before the cabinets makes for clearer sailing now and into the future.
A quick search online brings up a lot of debate on the issue, but no clear answers, so let us simplify for you: In our opinion, you are much, much better off laying your floor up to the edges of the units and appliances, rather than trying to install underneath them.
As we mentioned before, kitchen floors need to be able to expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity, so if they were glued or nailed down, it would impede this necessary movement and cause damage to the cabinets.
In most cases, kitchen cabinets are attached to the floor. This helps to keep them level and stops them from tipping over. Sometimes, however, kitchen cabinets are not attached to the floor. This is usually when they are placed on top of a countertop or other surface.
By installing flooring underneath your appliances, you'll avoid any gaps or transitions that can be visually unappealing. Protection: Another benefit of installing flooring under appliances is that it provides protection for your subfloor. Over time, appliances can leak or spill, causing damage to the subfloor.
Plywood. Plywood is considered the most popular material used for subflooring, it has been used since the 1950s and remains one of the top choices for contractors. Standard plywood works perfectly fine as a subflooring material, but the best option is ¾” tongue-and-groove plywood subflooring.
If it doesn't have a quarter round, floor goes under the cabinets, and if it doesn't it is pretty easy to see it doesn't (hence the need for the quarter round). But if you see the quarter round, just assume it doesn't go under. If the kitchen has tile, look at the grout lines.
Most homeowners spend between $4,000 and $9,000 to reface all of their kitchen cabinets, which gives an all-new look for nearly 50 percent less than the cost to fully replace the cabinetry. Many homeowners are choosing to replace just their lower kitchen cabinets for a change that's still noticeable and clean.
What most builders won't tell you is that you can actually install either element first. However, a majority of the time, you can expect that the floor will be installed first because it helps you avoid having to cut and lay flooring around cabinets and appliances later.
Flooring. Most of the time, flooring has to be installed around the cabinetry, which takes extra time to cut and fit correctly. A small kitchen shouldn't take more than a day to re-floor, but larger projects (or those with extra obstacles to cut around), can take 2 or 3.
A thin bead of caulk can seal or fill that small gap between cabinets and floors in less than 30 minutes. I love a quick win, guys! This DIY works on gaps 1/4″ and smaller. If your gap is larger than a 1/4″, you should use trim first, like quarter round.
TOE KICK. The recessed space between the base cabinet and the floor is called the toe kick. It is designed to allow space for your feet so you can stand closer to the countertop.
Yes, you should always put flooring under your dishwasher. Since dishwashers are designed to fit snugly under your countertop, this will make it much easier to remove without the need to lift it over a lip of flooring.
Here are the main advantages of laying flooring first: Installation is easier: When you start with your flooring, you usually fit it to the entire kitchen area. This means it doesn't need to be cut around your cabinetry and should be quicker and easier to install. This, in turn, could save you on installation costs.
So, does flooring go under the dishwasher? It is not a good idea to install your flooring material under the dishwasher. This is because it may need repair or replacement sooner than your dishwasher. As such, your flooring should run under all your kitchen appliances except your dishwasher.
In most cases, installing cabinets come first before the flooring. Know that floor covering is the surface you see and walk on, where it is usually cut to size and butt up against the cabinets.
So, if you're wondering if you can put cabinets on top of vinyl plank flooring or if you can install vinyl flooring before or after cabinets, unfortunately, you should have the cabinets installed first or choose from the options described below. Recommended: Install cabinets BEFORE floating flooring.