Cabinets or Flooring: Which to Install First

This question shows up in nearly every kitchen remodel, usually right after, “Are we really doing this?”
And honestly? It is a little like the chicken-and-egg debateexcept the wrong answer can leave you
with buckled floors, trapped appliances, or a toe-kick gap that haunts your dreams.

The good news: there’s a clear way to decide. The “right” order depends mostly on one thing
what type of flooring you’re installingand a few practical realities like appliance clearance,
warranties, and how likely you are to change your layout later.

The Fast Rule of Thumb (So You Can Keep Remodeling)

• Floating floors (click-lock LVP, laminate, some engineered): install cabinets first, then floor around them.
• Nail-down or glue-down wood (solid hardwood, some engineered): often best to install flooring first for a continuous surface.
• Tile (ceramic/porcelain/stone): usually best to tile first for a clean finishunless budget or layout makes you tile around cabinets.
• Sheet vinyl / thin glue-down vinyl: can go either way, but many pros prefer cabinets first to protect the floor and reduce wasted material.

Now let’s unpack the “why,” because your kitchen deserves more than a one-size-fits-all answer.

Why the Order Matters (More Than Your Playlist While Demoing)

Cabinets and flooring don’t just “sit there.” They interact. Sometimes politely. Sometimes like two toddlers
fighting over the same toy.

1) Movement and expansion

Floating floors are designed to expand and contract. If heavy cabinets (and stone countertops) pin them down,
the floor can buckle, gap, or fail. That’s why many manufacturers explicitly warn against installing fixed
objects on top of floating flooring.

2) Finished height and appliance clearance

Flooring thickness changes the final height of your base cabinets and countertops. That can affect whether your
dishwasher can slide out later (yes, that’s a real thing), how your range lines up, and whether your toe-kick
looks crisp or awkward.

3) Protection and damage risk

Flooring installed too early can get scratched, dented, stained, or chipped while cabinets are carried in,
shimmed, fastened, and wrestled into alignment. Your new floor doesn’t need to be the sacrificial lamb.

4) Cost and waste

Running flooring under cabinets looks clean in theory, but you’re paying to install finished material you’ll never see.
Depending on your flooring type and kitchen size, that can be a meaningful chunk of change.

When to Install Cabinets First (The “Floating Floor” Playbook)

If your flooring is floating, cabinets-first is usually the smartest and safest sequence.
That includes many popular kitchen choices like luxury vinyl plank (LVP), laminate, and some engineered wood
installed as click-lock floating planks.

Floating floors need freedom

Floating floors “float” as a connected surface, usually over an underlayment. They rely on expansion gaps along
walls and fixed objects. If cabinets sit on top, the floor can’t move as designed, and problems follow.

Cabinets-first also protects your investment

Cabinet installation is heavy work: dragging boxes, shifting units, tapping shims, clamping faces, and fastening
to studs. Doing that over your brand-new floor is like wearing white sneakers to a mud run.

How to do cabinets-first correctly (without creating a height mess)

1. Confirm finished floor thickness (including underlayment). Measure it. Don’t guess.
2. Build up the cabinet footprint if needed, using plywood or shims so cabinet bases sit at the correct finished height.
   This keeps countertop height standard and prevents appliance headaches.
3. Install cabinets and secure them properly to studs/subfloor.
4. Install flooring up to the cabinets, leaving the proper expansion gap where required.
5. Finish with toe-kick and trim (shoe molding only if your design calls for itdon’t over-trim your mistakes).

Pro tip: If you’re keeping the toe-kick separate until flooring is down, you can get a cleaner look and avoid odd transitions.

What about an island on a floating floor?

Kitchen islands are where people get bold, creative… and occasionally void their warranty. If the island is fixed and heavy,
many floating-floor systems don’t want it sitting on top of the planks. Common solutions include:

• Install the island on the subfloor first and run the floating floor around it.
• Frame a “footprint” cutout so the floor can still expand around the island base.
• Choose a glue-down flooring method (or a flooring product rated for that installation), if appropriate for your project.

When to Install Flooring First (The “Continuous Surface” Advantage)

Flooring-first can be the best choice when your floor is mechanically fastened or glued, or when a continuous finish
matters for looks, future flexibility, and resale.

Hardwood (nail-down or glue-down): a strong case for flooring-first

If you’re installing solid hardwood (or engineered wood installed by nail-down or glue-down methods), putting the flooring in first
can create a seamless, continuous floor plane. That matters if your kitchen flows into adjacent rooms with the same material
and you want the grain direction and transitions to look intentional (not like a patchwork quilt).

Flooring-first can also help if the hardwood will be sanded and finished in placesanding dust is basically glitter’s angry cousin:
it gets everywhere and never truly leaves.

Tile: often best installed before cabinets

Tile wants a stable, properly prepped substrate. Tiling the full floor (including under cabinet footprints) can make leveling easier
and helps avoid tricky cuts around cabinet bases. It also means you can change cabinet layouts later without discovering a weird
“missing tile” surprise.

That said, some remodels tile only the visible areas to reduce cost, especially if the cabinet layout is truly permanent and you’re
using expensive tile. Both approaches can be “right” depending on budget and future plans.

Flooring-first helps if you might change cabinets later

Cabinets do get replaced. Floors often last longer (or homeowners want them to). A continuous floor underneath everything can make
future remodels simplerno patching, no hunting for discontinued materials, no “why is there subfloor showing behind the new cabinet?”
moment.

Thin Floors vs. Thick Floors: The Height Trap Most People Miss

Here’s the sneaky part: installing flooring after cabinets can change the finished opening under counters and around appliances.
Dishwashers are the most common victim. If the finished floor ends up higher than the original, you may not be able to pull the dishwasher
out later without lifting the countertop (which is a sentence no one enjoys reading).

The fix is planning: either install flooring first, or raise cabinets to the final height using underlayment-grade plywood under the cabinet footprint.
Measure twice. Save yourself from future you sending angry texts to present you.

A Practical Decision Guide: Answer These 5 Questions

1. Is the floor floating? If yes, cabinets usually go first.
2. What does the manufacturer require? If their instructions say “no fixed objects,” believe them.
3. Will the flooring run into other rooms? If yes, flooring-first can create better continuity.
4. How likely is the cabinet layout to change? If likely, flooring-first avoids patching later.
5. Are you installing thick material (tile/hardwood)? Thick floors can affect cabinet height and appliance fitplan the sequence accordingly.

Recommended Kitchen Remodel Sequence (So Trades Don’t Step on Each Other)

Regardless of which comes firstcabinets or flooringthe broader order of operations matters. A common, practical sequence looks like this:

1. Demolition (including old cabinets, flooring, and any layers of mystery material from 1987).
2. Subfloor inspection + repair (flat, solid, squeak-free is the goal).
3. Rough-ins (plumbing/electrical as needed; fix what must be fixed before finishes go in).
4. Walls + paint (primer and paint are cheaper to touch up than flooring).
5. Cabinets (uppers first, then base cabinets; level, shim, and secure).
6. Countertops (template after base cabinets are locked in; install after fabrication).
7. Flooring (either before cabinets or after, based on your flooring type).
8. Appliances + plumbing fixtures (then test everythingtwice).
9. Backsplash + trim (finish details; caulk; touch-up paint).

Real-World Scenarios (Because Your Kitchen Isn’t a Textbook)

Scenario 1: Click-lock LVP in a busy kitchen

You want waterproof-ish, kid-proof-ish, dog-proof-ish floors. The product is a floating click-lock LVP system.
Best move: install cabinets first, then run the LVP around the base cabinets and island footprint.
This avoids pinning the floor and keeps expansion gaps working as designed.

Scenario 2: Nail-down hardwood that continues into the dining room

If hardwood flows through multiple spaces, flooring-first often creates a cleaner, more continuous look. You can protect the
finished floor during cabinet installation with heavy-duty floor protection and careful handling.

Scenario 3: Porcelain tile with a long-term cabinet layout

If you’re tiling and you want the “everything is clean and permanent” finish, tile-first can be ideal.
If you’re watching budget and the cabinet layout won’t change, tiling only the visible area can reduce costsjust plan for it
and document it for future remodel decisions.

FAQs

Should flooring go under kitchen cabinets?

Sometimes. For floating floors, usually no. For tile and hardwood, often yes if you want a continuous finish
or expect layout changes. For thin vinyl, it depends on your plan, height needs, and product guidance.

Can you put cabinets on a floating floor?

Many manufacturers recommend against it because it can restrict movement and lead to buckling. If your product allows it,
follow the exact installation rules. When in doubt, install cabinets first.

What if the cabinets are already installed?

Then your “first” decision is made for you. You’ll typically install flooring around the cabinets, leaving appropriate gaps and finishing
with trim or toe-kick details for a clean edge.

Key Takeaways

• If the floor floats, cabinets usually come first.
• If the floor is nailed or glued, flooring-first often wins for continuity and future flexibility.
• Tile is commonly installed first, but budget and layout permanence can justify tiling around cabinets.
• Always plan for finished height to avoid appliance clearance issues.
• Manufacturer instructions aren’t “suggestions.” They’re tiny printed rules that can save your big expensive floor.

Conclusion

Socabinets or flooring first? The most reliable answer is: follow your flooring type.
Floating floors usually want cabinets first. Nail-down or glue-down floors often benefit from flooring first.
Tile is frequently best installed first, unless your budget and permanent layout make tiling around cabinets the smarter move.

If you’re still stuck, decide based on risk: the biggest failures come from pinning floating floors and ignoring finished height.
Nail those two issues (pun fully intended), and your remodel is already ahead of scheduleat least emotionally.

Extra: Hard-Earned Lessons Homeowners Learn (So You Don’t Have To)

Below are experience-based patterns that show up again and again on real remodel timelinesnot because people are careless,
but because kitchens are complicated and every choice touches three other choices. Consider this the “things no one tells you
until you’ve already bought the wrong underlayment” section.

1) The “dishwasher prison” is real

One of the most common regrets happens when cabinets go in, then thick flooring goes in later, and suddenly the dishwasher can’t slide out.
It’s not dramatic until it’s time to replace a failing unit and you realize your options are: (a) remove the countertop, (b) remove cabinets,
or (c) start a new hobby that doesn’t involve plumbing. The fix is simple: plan finished floor height before cabinets are anchored, or raise
the cabinet footprint to match the final flooring thickness from day one.

2) Floating floors are polite… until they aren’t

Floating floors behave beautifully when they can expand and contract as a single system. But if an island is installed on top of themor
if base cabinets pin them downthe floor may start to peak at seams, gap at edges, or “talk” (creak) in ways that make you question your
life choices. People often assume the weight “helps keep it flat.” Sometimes it doesuntil seasonal humidity changes, then the floor tries
to move and discovers it’s trapped.

3) “We’ll be careful” is not a floor protection plan

Even careful crews can nick a floor when hauling cabinets, dragging a fridge, or shifting an island. The worst part is that damage usually
happens at the end of a long day when everyone is tired and someone says, “Just scoot it a little.” If you install flooring before cabinets,
budget for real protection: thick floor paper, hardboard, taped seams, and a strict no-drag policy for heavy appliances.

4) Saving material is smartuntil your future remodel says otherwise

Installing flooring only in visible areas can reduce costs today, especially with premium tile or wide-plank hardwood. But if you later change
cabinet footprints (even slightly), you can end up hunting for matching flooring that no longer exists. Many people don’t plan on moving a pantry
cabinet or switching from a 30-inch to 36-inch rangeuntil they do. A good compromise is to run flooring under areas most likely to change
(like appliance zones) while still skipping the deepest “never-seen” corners under permanent cabinet runs.

5) Toe-kicks reveal everything

Toe-kicks are like the kitchen’s eyeliner: subtle, but they define the look. When flooring is installed after cabinets, the gap at the toe-kick
can look perfectly cleanor like a rushed afterthoughtdepending on how the transition is handled. The best results usually come from planning
the toe-kick thickness and flooring height together, keeping lines straight, and avoiding bulky shoe molding unless it matches the overall style.

6) Your timeline will try to bully your sequence

Sometimes cabinets are delayed, flooring is in stock, and your contractor says, “Let’s just do the floor now.” That can workif the floor type
supports it and you protect it properly. But rushing the sequence to “keep busy” is how you end up installing something twice. If the flooring is floating,
resist the timeline pressure and keep cabinets first. If it’s a glue-down product or tile, flooring first can be totally finejust confirm the manufacturer
rules and your finished heights before you commit.

7) The smartest remodels feel boring on paper

The best projects aren’t the ones with the flashiest materialsthey’re the ones where decisions were made in the right order. Measure the final height.
Read the installation guide. Decide how permanent the layout really is. Plan transitions. Then install. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the difference between
“new kitchen joy” and “why is the floor tenting near the island?” three months later.