Can I Put Cabinets On Top Of Hardwood Flooring

Cabinets are not recommended to be installed over a floating floor especially cabinets that have a heavy granite counter top.

Can i put cabinets on top of hardwood flooring. The proper installation would be to install the cabinets and then install the flooring around the cabinets. Possible damage to the cabinets during the installation is a possibility. Instead we suggest installing your cabinets over your hardwood floors. Why it s better to install the hardwood floors before the cabinets.

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. But if you have to install the flooring first here s a method that will avoid some of the problems i just described. Installing the cabinets on the flooring could bind the floor due to the weight of the cabinets. This is more common with solid 3 4 inch floors opposed to thinner hardwoods.

You would not want your dishwasher to be trapped underneath the floor and. Depending on the look you want you could have euro style legs with a detachable kick or traditional cabinet legs which would cost more. However when installing a wood flooring nail down or glue down there are more factors to consider. Remove the cabinets and screw a plywood filler piece to the subfloor about inch.

The floor and cabinets provide most of the color in the kitchen and they combine with the walls and ceiling to create a space that can be relaxing sumptuous or conducive to work. To keep the floor flush consider installing a different cheaper type of flooring underneath cabinets and appliances or even plywood risers. In other words put legs on your cabinets and let them float on top of the floating floor. First it s important that the cabinets are the standard 36 inches above the floor and it s important that the appliances are at this same height so that there aren t issues later if when you want to change the appliances e g.

Often without planning these appliances can get locked in when the hardwood guy is done installing the floor. 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. Why pay top dollar for imported hardwood that remains hidden. Some people put plywood in the place of the flooring to give an estimate of how much extra space will be needed between the top of the cabinets and the appliance.