Installing your tiles before your kitchen cabinets will cut down on overall labor costs. Putting in your tiles first will help prevent water damage in your kitchen. Cabinets can be installed first if you're placing delicate tiles that might get damaged during cabinetry or appliance installation.
Here are the main advantages of laying flooring first: Installation is easier: When you start with your flooring, you usually fit it to the entire kitchen area. This means it doesn't need to be cut around your cabinetry and should be quicker and easier to install. This, in turn, could save you on installation costs.
Just make sure the Durock or tile backer is down first. Then install cabinets, then the tiles can go down. There are some that want the tiles down first, which is okay, but if the floor is out, then you end up with gaps, and most of the time the builder/GC does not plan to put shoe mold around.
Putting down the floor before the cabinets makes for clearer sailing now and into the future. Treat the floors under your cabinets like a permanent installation. They should receive the same treatment as the rest of your floor. Just because they won't show doesn't mean you can cut corners.
Avoid installing wood flooring under your cabinets.
So if you install wood flooring under your kitchen cabinets you are essentially restricting this movement which can result in your flooring buckling.
If you value a seamless look and want to protect your subfloor from damage, installing flooring under appliances may be the best choice for you. However, if you're concerned about the difficulty of installation or the added cost, you may want to skip this step.
In terms of how high your kitchen backsplash should be, that's up to you. Many homeowners stop their backsplash level with the bottom of their upper cabinets. However, some choose to take the tile all the way up the ceiling. This can make the kitchen feel taller, drawing the eye up the wall.
Yes, just make sure that you cut the flooring cleanly with a tile saw so it aligns with the cabinet base. Replacing kitchen flooring without removing cabinets saves you time and money. You won't have to install flooring under the cabinets that no one will see.
There are times when floor tiling must be done after the kitchen is installed. This could be for scheduling reasons and therefore the option of wall-to-wall tiling is ruled out. In cases when either option is on the table, we find this decision is often based on cost.
While ceramic tile can be an excellent choice for your kitchen floor, it does come with a few drawbacks. Ceramic tile can crack as floors settle, and a dish or glass dropped on it is virtually guaranteed to shatter. It can also be cold and hard underfoot, so use a rug or cushioned mat to cancel out the discomfort.
Laying tile is easy but laying tile and doing it well is difficult. It doesn't have to be that way. With just a few tips and tricks, you may improve your tiling skills over the course of just one installation.
Install a cement-based backer board following the manufacturer's instructions. This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to cracking. Backer board panels typically measure 3-feet by 5-feet and can be trimmed as needed.
Mark Bottom of Wall Cabinets
Mark and label the position of all of the upper cabinets on the wall with a pencil and level to double-check your layout. Plan to install wall kitchen cabinets first. That way, the base cabinets won't be in your way while you're installing the upper cabinets.
Bring in New Appliances
After installation of the cabinets and plumbing fixtures, it is time to add your new appliances. This includes items such as the built-in microwave, stove, refrigerator, and more.
Are you tiling the entire bathroom? If you're planning to tile around the entire room, it makes sense to tile before installing the vanity unit. That way, the room and walls are set for any changes you might want to make in the future, whether that's with the vanity unit or any other component within the bathroom.
Firstly, the tiled wall hangs over the space that the tiled floor occupies, meaning that the floor should be tiled first. This is so that the bottom row of tiles on the wall and corners can sit on the bathroom floor tiles, and thus look quite a bit more coherent.
When it comes to the installation part of the remodel, everything needs to be done in a step-by-step fashion, and in an order that makes the most sense. If your remodel also includes laying new floors, most experts agree that it's better to install kitchen flooring before cabinets.
Tile under everything is my recommendation. You can also run them under the cabinets, but leave the last piece out at the wall, except around the stove opening, and the dishwasher.
Yes, you should always put flooring under your dishwasher. Since dishwashers are designed to fit snugly under your countertop, this will make it much easier to remove without the need to lift it over a lip of flooring.
While you can install tile directly on concrete, problems may erupt when the concrete cracks or shifts. All of the movement in concrete is transferred to the tile. Cracks in concrete immediately become cracks in the tile.
Bring Your Dream Kitchen to Life
The answer is that it depends on the type of flooring you're installing and your personal preference. In most cases, it's best to install the flooring first, as this provides a more finished look and makes it easier to install and level the cabinets.
Inspect your subfloor and correct any dips, cracks or uneven places that will cause your tile to buckle or not install properly. If you have a plywood or OSB subfloor, install a water-resistant cement backer board as your underlayment. Concrete subfloors typically don't require backer board.