What Should You Install First, Floors or Cabinets?

Cabinets provide a lot of space in our living area without looking too crowded. It is essential to install cabinets in every building to keep everything organized and safe. But do you want to know what should you install first, floors or cabinets?

You might be thinking that installing cabinets before your floors could damage them and confuse whether to install cabinets or floors first.

It’s a big project, so you must follow all the right procedures to ensure your results match the idea you imagined.

The answer is not simple and depends on a few things like flooring type, design longevity, and subfloors.

However, you choose to install cabinets first or start with the flooring. Both orders have their advantages and disadvantages.

Things to Consider to Decide Whether to Install Floors Or Cabinets First

Longevity

Most expert builders and designers suggest that starting with the floor before installing cabinets is safer and more straightforward. Picking the right way to start will make kitchen remodeling successful.

Secondly, longevity is the most important thing to start installing the floor first. Installing cabinets first will create more remodeling issues.

You will face difficulties if you need to change appliances or do additional remodeling. Laying floors before cabinets makes all the next steps easy.

It would be best to treat the floors under your cabinets like a permanent installation. Its handling should be the same as the rest of the floor.

Laying the floor under the cabinets does not mean you can cut their edges. You might need to uninstall the cabinets, and you will need complete flooring.

Flooring Type

In most cases, it is preferable to lay flooring before cabinets. But in these two cases, cabinets should be installed first; floor thickness and floating floor.

Floating Floors

Many different flooring types, such as vinyl, engineered hardwood, and laminate, comes in tongue and groove planks. They are called floating floors because they are not fixed with the subfloor.

In some conditions, they move, expand, and contract. If you plan to install cabinets over them, they may damage the floor.

Floor Thickness

If your flooring has a high thickness, it will be difficult to fit appliances, which is a big problem with installing cabinets before floors. If you installed any appliances before flooring and later need to replace them, the flooring will be incomplete.

In the case of installing cabinets before flooring, keep the thickness of the flooring half-inch or less to eliminate the problem of changing places of appliances.

Get Rid of Potential Harm to Floors

In the case of installing cabinets first, the chances of floor damage increase with heavy countertops, appliance installations, and paint drips. Experts suggest three remedies for this.

Paint all the walls from top to bottom before floors and cabinets.
Protect the finish of the floors so that you don’t have to refinish.
Lay down cardboard on the floors to bring appliances inside to protect the floor from damage.

Subfloor

It is important to level your cabinets, whether you install floors or cabinets first. So you have to level the subfloor first. Laying the floor first will keep it in balance.

Suppose the countertops do not sit accurately on the floors. It is essential to maintain an even surface of countertops. Shims can be used at the bottom of the countertop and the cabinet spaces to get a level surface.

Normally Cabinets Come Before Floor Covering

In many situations, it is better to install cabinets before floor covering. Floor covering is the finish of the surface, not the subfloor or underlayment. It will affix alongside the cabinets or cut to its size.

Separate the flooring and the cabinets at a minimum distance. This space is filled by shoe molding or baseboard nailed to the cabinet’s base.

When Floor Should be Installed Before Cabinets

If your flooring height exceeds normal, you must install flooring before cabinets and appliances due to design circumstances. Whereas if you install appliances and baseboards directly on the subfloor, the flooring heights will be wrong.

If everything goes out of alignment, getting an ideal countertop height of 34 – 36 inches isn’t easy. You can fix this issue by laying plywood risers under appliances and cabinets. The floor covering itself can act as a riser.

Pros and Cons of Installing Floors First

Advantages

Many people install flooring to protect it from cutting around the cabinets. This is perfect for the people who start with floors.

Some people think that if they install cabinets first, removing them will be difficult as they will leave the cabinet footprint.

However, in the case of a kitchen remodel, you have to do it in a manner that you will not change later. Laying flooring first delivers a clean appearance and saves you from installing cabinets repeatedly.

Disadvantages

A lot of flooring material is wasted by installing floors under cabinets. Paying extra charges for the material and installation is useless because they will be under the cabinets, and no one will see them.

If you need to replace the flooring, you must also remove the cabinets. This makes it costly for you or any future homeowners.

The order of installation depends on the material you choose. Wood floors need extra space because they expand and contract with moisture and temperature.

Installing wood floors under the cabinets will cause wood to buckle when it tries to swell. This may ruin your floor. Experts suggest finishing the bottom of your cabinets to eliminate this problem.

You cannot install cabinets over floating floors because the heavy material of the cabinets will not allow the floors to expand and contract. This will make the planks of the floating floor come apart.

Pros and Cons of Installing Cabinets First

Advantages

If you choose to install cabinets first, you will avoid many problems. This way, you will not waste money and time on the flooring you don’t see. Your floor will be protected from damage by installing cabinets first.

Suppose you have installed new flooring. There is a high chance of scratching or denting in the cabinet’s installation process.

Disadvantages

If you install cabinets first, you must stick to the same footprint in future remodeling. To fit around the base cabinets, you need to cut the floor. This makes the installation costly and slow.

All the appliances will be in place until you have this flooring. You surround them with your flooring material, making built-in converting appliances difficult. However, you can fix this issue by purchasing built-in appliances.

Installation of Kitchen Cabinets

The base cabinets of the kitchen are nailed to the wall behind them. They are secured to a stud to limit their ability to move after installation.

The installation method of wall cabinets is the same but it’s very important for them to fix with a stud because you have to hand it from the wall.

Installation of Hardwood Floors Around Kitchen Cabinets

You can lay your hardwood floors to the base cabinet toe-kick if you install hardwood floors in an existing kitchen. Toe-kick is an extra space at the kitchen cabinet’s bottom, where a person stands near the countertop.

To cut near the toe-kick of the base cabinet without damaging it is the difficult part of this type of installation.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Should Floors or Cabinets be Installed First?

The best option for most hardwood floors is to install flooring before cabinets. Because experts say that in this way, everything can be on a level. This installation process is safe because they will be protected from damage.

While Remodeling Your Kitchen, What Should be Done First Floors or Cabinets?

You have to consider many things while remodeling your kitchen. It depends on the flooring you select and your future idea for a kitchen project. Then you will decide which should be done first.

Is It Good to Replace Floors or Cabinets First?

To remodel a kitchen or any room, whether you want to replace the floor or cabinets, you must first remove cabinets.

What Should be the Color of the Cabinets, Lighter or Darker?

The kitchen floor need not be darker than the wall or base cabinets. It would be better to install a darker or lighter color than the cabinets to achieve a proper balance in a room.

Is It Good to Fit the Kitchen Before Flooring?

Its installation is very easy. Usually, you fit your flooring to the entire kitchen area when you start the installation. In this way, the flooring does not need cutting around the cabinets.

Additionally, the process of installation is quicker and easier. The installation costs are also reduced to a great extent.

Final Thoughts

In this article, you have learned that in a different situation, what should you install first floors or cabinets?

It is clear from the advantages and disadvantages of selecting to install floors or cabinets. However, installing floors at the start is a more risky option.

Therefore, carefully consider the materials you select, the appliances, and your future remodeling plans. You can ask a contractor which option is best.