Should we lay the flooring before or after new kitchen fitted?

ICEQUEEN20 | 12:00 Sat 24th Sep 2011 | ChatterBank

10 Answers

We are having a new kitchen professionally fitted next week, we have had the electricians and fitters come to survey the area and kitchen plan etc. We have ripped up the old laminate flooring and are looking to lay new (more expensive) laminate wood flooring. The fitters told us NOT to lay it until after they have fitted the kitchen as they may damage it... but we want the flooring to go edge to edge under the units so they kickboards will be cut to fit over the laminate flooring, surely us laying the flooring afterwards wont get a flush fit as the flooring could be too high or low for the kickboards (plus we would have to pull the kickboards up and put them back ourselves). I think they are just telling us to lay it after they have finished to make it easier for them?? Any thoughts??

Still on the subject of eggs...

So where did the satellite fall to Earth then?

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ummmm

Lay it after....listen to the professionals.

boxtops

My neighbours arranged for the kitchen fitters to fit the kitchen without kickboards, then the flooring was laid, then the kitchen fitters came back to finish the job once the flooring was down.

ummmm

Same with us.

ICEQUEEN20

Question Author

Thank you

Clanad

Problem with laminate is that it requires a space around all the perimeters of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to allow for expansion and contraction due to temperature and humidity changes. It's a floating floor so the whole thing expands and contracts.
If you lay it under the kitchen cabinets it will buckle since it won't be able to expand. The kickboard (called a toe board here in the U.S.) will be laid over the laminate covering up the space and won't be visible.

Additionally, if you're installing a replacement or new dishwasher, there should not be any laminate under it since even a small leak can severely damage the flooring.

A word of caution... when you get ready to replace the fridge, assuming it's on built in rollers, make sure the installers use a piece of plywood or other sturdy support on which to roll the fridge into place. We installed a 3/4 inch hardwood floor and when they rolled the fridge back into place it left grooves in the new flooring, which they had to rip up and replace. The laminate won't be as scuff and dent resistant as your previous floorting...

The Builder

One other thing ................ if the flooring is too thick, then you might not have enough height under the worktop to push the fridge or dishwasher into place.