Q: Can I install new kitchen cabinets on top of a floating floor? It seems like it would be easier to lay the flooring first and not have to cut it to fit against the toekick or to cover up the gap with shoe moldings.—Thomas Bourquin, Spring Valley, Ohio
Tom Silva replies: It might be easier, but it wouldn’t be better. A floating wood floor has to be free to expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity, and it can’t do that with heavy cabinets resting on top of it.
That’s not the only problem: You’d have a tough time cutting out the strips that extend under the cabinets if you ever wanted to replace the flooring; you’ll be spending money on a surface you’ll never see; and you run the risk of scratching your new floor if you install the cabinets after it’s in place. Those are all good reasons to lay a kitchen floor after the cabinets are in.
Installing Flooring First
Kitchen Tip: If your cabinets have removable toekicks, consider taking them off so you can run the flooring underneath the cabinets. If the toekick is stationary, plan to install the flooring up to within ½ inch of the toekick — this gap can be hidden during the finish step.
But if you have to install the flooring first, here’s a method that will avoid some of the problems I just described.
Before installing the flooring, check for any vertical trim — such as door casings or stops — that needs to be cut to allow the new floor to slide beneath it. Use a scrap piece of your flooring material (plus any underlayment pad) as a height gauge, lay it flat against the trim, and use a flexible pull saw to cut the trim flush. As Tom Silva demonstrated on a This Old House project: “All I’m gonna do is take a scrap of this pad that’s gonna go onto the floor, lay that on the floor and take a piece of the flooring, lay that down, and now I’m gonna use a flexible pull saw. It cuts on the backstroke.”
- Put all the base cabinets in place, then mark a line on the subfloor corresponding to the front edge of the toekick.
- Remove the cabinets and screw a plywood filler piece to the subfloor about ½ inch inside the line, where it will be under the cabinets. This piece should be at least 2 inches wide and about ⅛ inch thicker than the total thickness of the flooring, including any vapor barrier or cushion.
- Screw a strip of the same thickness to the floor next to the wall.
- Now install the new flooring, but keep it about a ¼ inch from the first filler strip.
- Finally, install the cabinets on both strips and attach the toekicks. The flooring will be able to expand and contract beneath the toekick without revealing a gap.
Pro Tip: When installing a floating floor, always nail any shoe molding or quarter-round to the wall — never to the flooring itself. As This Old House Magazine advises, this ensures the floor can move freely beneath the trim as it expands and contracts, which is especially important in kitchens where temperature and humidity fluctuate.
Is your home protected against unexpected repair needs? Read about home warranty providers to see if it might be a good option for your home.
