When You Remodel a Kitchen Should The New Flooring Be Installed Before the Cabinets or After The Cabinets Are Installed?

22 Dec When You Remodel a Kitchen Should The New Flooring Be Installed Before the Cabinets or After The Cabinets Are Installed?

It depends on the type of flooring you’re using but in most cases, we recommend installing the flooring before the cabinets for a neater, longer-lasting result.

Here’s why:

1. A continuous finish looks cleaner.

   Laying the floor wall-to-wall creates a seamless look throughout your kitchen. If you ever decide to change the layout or replace cabinets later, the flooring will still match perfectly underneath.

2. It makes levelling easier.

   
   Installing flooring first gives a flat, even surface for your cabinets and appliances, which is essential for accurate fitting and door alignment.

3. It’s better for future updates.

   
   With the flooring running underneath, you won’t need to patch or find matching tiles or planks later on a common headache for homeowners.

When to fit cabinets first:

The main exception is if you’re using floating flooring, such as click-fit laminate or LVT, which needs to expand and contract slightly. In that case, the cabinets should go in first, and the flooring fitted afterwards with a small expansion gap and trim to finish.

At We Love Your Projects, we always assess the flooring type, subfloor, and kitchen design before starting work. Our goal is to create a durable, level, and beautiful kitchen space that stands the test of time in both performance and appearance.