Do Hardwood Floors Go Under Kitchen Cabinets?
Beautifully crafted hardwood floors get plenty of attention. That’s why it’s so important to install them correctly. This brings us to the following question: do hardwood floors go under kitchen cabinets?
Yes, hardwood floors should always go under kitchen cabinets. This will not only make your kitchen look better, but cabinets come in a range of heights – so you don’t want things sticking out.
Installing hardwood floors under kitchen cabinets will also provide you with freedom down the road. If you want to change the layout of your kitchen, you can. Without needing to worry about bare spaces on the floor.
Hardwood Flooring Before or After Cabinets?
As we mentioned in the sections above, it’s always a smart idea to install hardwood flooring before cabinets. Let’s take a more detailed look into why you should go about this step first.
1. Easier to Measure
Accurate measurements are the most important thing in construction. If your measurements are wrong, everything falls apart. That’s why you always need to install hardwood flooring, before cabinets.
The main reason comes down to the height of materials. All cabinets come in a range of different heights. If there are installed unevenly, they will not line up with the floor and there will be gaps between cabinets and the hardwood.
2. Cleaner Look
Installing cabinets before flooring is not how a professional would quote the job. At the end of the day, the floor will look much better if the entire surface is covered in high quality hardwood.
Neglecting this step will create sloppy results, as there can be visible gaps between the floorboards and where the cabinets meet. It makes more sense to take the time and lay down the hardwood beforehand.
3. Change the Design Later
It should come as no surprise that designs come and go. If you decide to change up the layout of your kitchen later down the line, it will be much easier if there’s existing hardwood under the cabinets.
If you want to free up some room by removing a cabinet for example, there will be bare floor underneath. This will really limit what kind of redesign you have in the kitchen and it may not even be worth it in the first place.
Hardwood Flooring Installation Process
There are a few different options when it comes to the hardwood flooring installation process. In general, there is glue-down, click, lock and nail-down. Below describes the nail-down process, which can be found in most homes.
- Prep subfloor – Hardwood is best installed on an existing wooden subfloor. It creates a better material for the hardwood to be nailed to. Make sure to sand down any high areas, in order to create an even surface.
- Remove baseboard – The baseboard around the room will need to be removed, so the hardwood can make contact with the wall. You can easily remove these sections by using a pry bar and a rubber mallet.
- Install hardwood – Once the baseboards have been removed, the next step is to lay down the hardwood. This is normally done by starting at one end of the room and using nails to attach each board with the subfloor.
- Use a floor nailer – This is a special tool used specifically for hardwood. It will be able to push the boards close together, without causing damage. The flooring nailer also has a protective boot to prevent the wood from getting damaged.
- Install transition pieces – Transition pieces (or strips) are devices the connect different types of flooring together. If you have hardwood in the kitchen and carpet in the living room, a transition piece will join these two materials.
- Finish – This step may be optional, depending on the type of boards you purchased. Pre-finished hardwood flooring has been sanded and stained. But unfinished boards will need to be coated, in order to complete the job.
Related Questions:
Do you put flooring under appliances?
Yes, flooring should always be installed under your home appliances. Not all dishwashers and refrigerators are the same size. So, if one of these appliances breaks, it will need to be replaced.
If you replace a broken fridge with a smaller one, you will be able to see the floor underneath it – which is why you will need to put hardwood across the entire floor.
Do you put flooring under kitchen island?
Yes, flooring should always be placed under the kitchen island. The answer is similar to the question raised above. If anything were to change about the island, you will be able to see the floor.
The only time you can avoid placing flooring under an island is if you plan on being in the house short term. The changes you make to the floor will not matter, if you plan on selling your home soon.
What about unfinished hardwood under cabinets?
There is really no right or wrong answer to this question. It all depends on how much money you want to spend. The fact is that no one will be able to see an unfinished floor when it’s blocked by cabinets.
But if you want the entire surface to look perfect, go ahead and get this area finished. Just know that it will require more time to allow the glaze to dry, before installing cabinets on top of the hardwood.
Wrapping Up
This article began with a question: do hardwood floors go under kitchen cabinets? Yes, you should always install this type of material underneath cabinets, appliances, and anything else in the room.
There are a few reasons why, but the main point is that cabinets come in many different heights. The final results will look sloppy and uneven if the hardwood and cabinets are installed on uneven levels.
Plus, having hardwood on the entire floor will give you more freedom to change things in the future. If you want to paint hardwood floors, or alter the kitchen layout, you won’t have to worry about seeing the subfloor underneath.
Search Terms
- Do hardwood floors go under kitchen cabinets?
- Hardwood flooring before or after cabinets?
