Can Cabinets Sit On Top Of A Floor
I personally like this method if using a very long lasting durable floor like hardwood or upscale tile.
Can cabinets sit on top of a floor. For example most of the costly finished hardwood flooring is usually placed sight unseen underneath the cabinets. The wall cabinets i can do i have installed many in the past. They re resting on the floor. This can cause the floor to warp or to bubble creating an unsightly lump in the floor at best and a trip hazard at worst.
What i mean by floating island is that it will be free standing on legs underneath ikea leg stands and not bolted to the floor like a permanent island would be so it could be moved if needed. The weight of the refrigerator can have a see saw effect on a floating floor causing the far end to rise due to the pressure exerted on the end under the refrigerator. I understand that you can t put a floating vinyl floor under kitchen cabinets but what about a floating island in the center of the kitchen. The second option is to lay the floor first and install the base cabinets on top of the finished floor.
However when installing a wood flooring nail down or glue down there are more factors to consider. The floor guy could damage parts of the cabinet and likely will if he has to floor after. To keep the floor flush consider installing a different cheaper type of flooring. These are going to be installed on the existing hardwood floating floor which are sitting on top of a pad and then concrete.
But they are screwed into the wall studs not screwed to the floor. You cabinet guys should be careful enough when you work not to damage a floor anyway. Install the cabinets first because heavy cabinetry cannot sit on top of a floating floor or it will restrict movement and increase the chances of flooring separation. It is almost impossible to find the correct level of the cabinets for appliance heights if the floor isn t in and could result from the dishwasher or fridge not fitting.
There are 4 wall cabinets and four base cabinets. I would not do this over vinyl or cheap flooring that will not outlast the cabinets. On new kitchen installs or where the cabinets are not yet installed or are being replaced i always install the flooring first then install the cabinets on top and trim out with quarter round or base shoe if needed to hide gaps due to un level floor conditions or make up a separate kick cut to fit and install when the cabinets are in place. Installing kitchen base cabinets before flooring can be a money saving advantage.
Can i install new kitchen cabinets on top of a floating floor. The cabinets aren t suspended. We just purchased a bunch of cabinets for installation of a bar kitchenette in the basement. So the floor can shift a little back and forth under the cabinets without moving them.