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.
As a rule, install permanent cabinets first, then install vinyl flooring. If you install the flooring first, use only specific types of flooring under certain conditions. Let's go over those specific types of flooring.
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.
Tile: Tile flooring should go under the kitchen cabinets, and should be treated the same as hardwood, depending on the finished cabinet height.
Pros of Installing Flooring First
This makes it easier to rearrange your space in the future because your flooring will continue throughout the entire room. Proper cabinet and appliance height: Sometimes, an appliance or cabinet may be at an awkward or wrong height which makes it more difficult to use.
Most contractors will recommend that you install floating floors after your cabinets are installed. Floating floors must be able to expand and contract, with changes in humidity, within the environment of your home. They are not able to do this with heavy cabinets on top of them.
You should avoid installing cabinets or any other hardware that should be bolted to the floor on the laminate. Installing hardware on top of your flooring will cause pressure, preventing it from expanding or contracting as the temperature changes.
Installing your home flooring is one of the easy projects you can undertake, especially with modern options such as laminate vinyl flooring. Generally, you should install your flooring in front of your dishwasher and not under it.
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.
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.
Traditionally hardwood flooring is more commonly installed prior to the cabinets and sanded and finished as one of the last steps, but with the increasing popularity of prefinished hardwood flooring the risks of damage during installation becomes greater.
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.
And this is generally the case with most flooring, however, there are some floor types out there that don't give you so much of an option. For example, laminate. Laminate is a flooring type that works best if installed after the cabinets.
If you are installing vinyl planks in a bathroom, you may need to temporarily remove the toilet or you can install around it. If the subfloor is unlevel, you can fix low spots with a self-leveling product and sand or grind down high spots. Tip: Do not try to sand down old vinyl flooring, as it may contain asbestos.
Do not place stove directly on carpeting, vinyl tile or any combustible material other than wood.
Swiffer wet cloths are designed to be used on most floor surfaces, such as: vinyl.
If you intend to place your refrigerator on your floating floor, lay the planks underneath from side to side while featuring the planks in the main part of the kitchen. This way, the weight of your refrigerator will not pop the planks in the middle of the kitchen where you walk.
Since the kitchen is a high-traffic area, you need a durable flooring material that can withstand wear and tear. Consider materials like ceramic or porcelain tile, natural stone, or hardwood floors that are strong enough to handle foot traffic and heavy furniture.
Generally, flooring contractors prefer that the cabinets go in first so that there is less possibility of the floor getting scratched. Cabinet installers like the floor to be in place so that the cutting and dust from the floor installation will not damage the vanity.
You can install vinyl plank flooring underneath a bathroom vanity (unless the manufacturer advises against this, for warranty reasons). But, generally speaking, bathroom vanities can be installed directly over the subfloor, so covering the area with flooring first seems like unnecessary work.
We recommend starting in the left corner of the longest wall in the room and to install the planks in the same direction as the main light source (e.g. the main window). Planks are always installed from left to right.