Do You Install Tile Floor Before Cabinets

There are a couple quality items to consider when installing the cabinets before flooring.

Do you install tile floor before cabinets.

Typically cabinets come before flooring. For example when you re installing post form countertops they rest directly on the cabinet base. Cabinets are installed after the finished floor. All you have to do is pull the kick off remove the old floor covering install the new flooring then put the kick back.

The benefit of installing the tile assembly after the cabinets stone countertops and other dead loads are installed understanding that the floor was designed to handle these loads is to help ensure the system is placed into compression before the tile is installed meaning the force of downward pressure on the finished installation is minimized. Install tile under cabinets and floor based appliances with a 2 inset this allows you to move the pattern and grout lines where needed. The rest under the cabinets can be filled with plywood or other solid materials to have a surface for the cabinets to rest on. In most cases given standard flooring heights you will install the cabinets before the floor covering.

Raising the cabinets to the new floor level may throw off the standard dimension of the backsplash area. When the time comes to reinstall the vanity you will simply install the new piece of hardware through the tiles and into the floor. Those are all good reasons to lay a kitchen floor after the cabinets are in. 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.

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. Install plywood in remaining area to exact height of tile floor to finish cabinet install. Do be careful if you have 8 ceilings and tall upper cabinets with crown moldings up to the ceiling. If you remove the vanity tile the floor underneath the vanity just like you do the rest of the floor.

No wasted tile and appliances can me moved for repairs without problems. If they want to change flooring at a later date you don t have to remove the cabinets. New tiles can be added to tile flooring but hardwood flooring that has been under cabinets will always have a different look than floors that have been walked on. Otherwise the cabinet toe kicks and countertop will be short.

Put all the base cabinets in place then mark a line on the subfloor corresponding to the front edge of the toekick. Cabinets before flooring setting the cabinetry in place before installing the flooring means not having to worry about floor damage during cabinet installation.