Install Cabinets Before or After Flooring?

Discover expert advice on whether to install cabinets or flooring first in new constructions.

Get tips from us for a smoother build process.

 

Cabinets First vs. Flooring First

So you’ve decided to build your ultimate dream home, and it’s time to assemble the construction schedule.  Should you install cabinets or flooring first?  There are several different views as to which way to go. When cabinets are installed first, isn’t it more difficult to install the flooring?  Is it more or less expensive to install flooring before cabinets?  Does the flooring go under the cabinets? Let’s discover the most accessible and most affordable way to go about constructing your dream home. 

 

Before we begin, it’s important to know when you’ll be installing flooring during the construction process. Typically, flooring installation occurs after the essential structural components of the house are in place, meaning the roof, walls, plumbing, and electrical work. Flooring is one of the finishing touches of a home before you actually move in and settle down. 

 

Installing Flooring First

 

One of the benefits of installing the flooring prior to the cabinets is there will be fewer cuts to make.  Whether you go with hardwood, tile, or vinyl, having a wide open room allows for more full pieces of flooring to be installed.  This can save the installer time.  Will this time savings translate into more money in your pocket?  Maybe, maybe not.  Remember, typically, flooring is not placed under cabinets, so when the cabinets are installed first, there is less floor to install…which also saves time.  It’s a good idea to ask the flooring contractor to provide the difference in labor price in going from one to the other. 

 

Another thing to contemplate when creating the new home construction schedule is the possibility of damage.  If the flooring goes in prior to the cabinets, there is still a whole lot of work going on over the new floor, which can leave you with scratches, gouges, and cracked tile. Similarly, the same goes for installing the kitchen island, often times there can be plumbing or heavy marble incorporated in kitchen islands. It’s a safer decision to install the kitchen island first, so you’re not concerned with ruining brand-new flooring if there were to be an incident with plumping or dropping heavy stone that could potentially cause damage.  This gets a lot of the heavy objects out of the way prior to putting down your new precious flooring material.

 

Installing Cabinets First

 

Besides protecting the finished product, there are other benefits to installing the flooring after the cabinets.  First, the quantity of flooring needed will decrease by the area under the cabinets.  This might not sound like much, but if you are installing a high-end stone tile, the price can quickly go over $10 per square foot.  Let’s say the kitchen has an average cabinet run of twenty-five feet.  This would translate to a savings in flooring material of about five hundred dollars.  Now throw in the possible labor savings (as you probably know, flooring labor is typically calculated by the square foot), and you have a significant number.

 

Another benefit to waiting to install the flooring is the additional time allowed for the home to dry out.  The wood studs, drywall mud, new concrete, paint…etc. all need time to dry out.  The more time that passes after these scheduled items are completed, the less moisture is available to affect your flooring.  This is a good thing because moisture is not a friend of your hardwood floor (or laminate).  If the material swells because of excess moisture, it can create humps, gaps, and squeaks in the hardwood floor.

 

Quality Considerations

 

There are a couple of quality items to consider when installing the cabinets before flooring.

 

Shim-up Base Cabinets – Keeping in mind the underlayment and flooring thickness, the base cabinets should be raised up to accommodate the thickness after installation of the floor.  Otherwise, the cabinet toe kicks and countertop will be short.

Island Positioning – Make certain the kitchen island is installed in the correct spot prior to flooring.  If not, you might end up with a subfloor exposed later on down the road when everything is close to being finished.

 

Now that you have your cabinets and floors installed, what comes next? After the structural components are in place, it’s time to think beyond the bare bones of the house and focus on what comes after the cabinets. The next step is usually interior painting, and then depending on when you decide to place flooring, flooring would typically follow that, if not before. Once the structure of the home is done, it’s time for finer details like window trim, crown molding, and adding light fixtures. Although these finishing touches don’t seem like much, they’re a crucial part of the construction process. Depending on the scale of your home, after you install cabinets, you’re home should be complete within a couple of weeks or months! So, after the cabinets, remember that the journey to creating your dream home is far from over – it’s just beginning in the world of interior finishes, where your personal taste and vision come to life.