Kitchen first or flooring first?
Discussion
Recently had an extension done with UFH and liquid screed on top.
Nothing has been fitted so far so its a big empty space. Spoke to two flooring companies and they have given two opposing answers, (apart from they both said its needs sanding/grinding to remove the laitance from the floor and then needs self levelling compound to smooth out the floor), one said kitchen goes in after the floor grinding and self leveling has been done, the other mentioned kitchen in first and then floor grinding and self leveling because why would you want to spend money on grinding and self levelling the floor which is covered by kitchen cabinets.
Anyone offer advice which is correct way to proceed?
p.s. both were local companies with high google review ratings.
Nothing has been fitted so far so its a big empty space. Spoke to two flooring companies and they have given two opposing answers, (apart from they both said its needs sanding/grinding to remove the laitance from the floor and then needs self levelling compound to smooth out the floor), one said kitchen goes in after the floor grinding and self leveling has been done, the other mentioned kitchen in first and then floor grinding and self leveling because why would you want to spend money on grinding and self levelling the floor which is covered by kitchen cabinets.
Anyone offer advice which is correct way to proceed?
p.s. both were local companies with high google review ratings.
Consigliere said:
Recently had an extension done with UFH and liquid screed on top.
Nothing has been fitted so far so its a big empty space. Spoke to two flooring companies and they have given two opposing answers, (apart from they both said its needs sanding/grinding to remove the laitance from the floor and then needs self levelling compound to smooth out the floor), one said kitchen goes in after the floor grinding and self leveling has been done, the other mentioned kitchen in first and then floor grinding and self leveling because why would you want to spend money on grinding and self levelling the floor which is covered by kitchen cabinets.
Anyone offer advice which is correct way to proceed?
p.s. both were local companies with high google review ratings.
If its a fitted kitchen then kitchen first. Why would you have a finished floor hidden under cabinets? Same if you were doing a bathroom. If its a fitted bath you wouldn't tile under it, but if it was an exposed roll top you would.Nothing has been fitted so far so its a big empty space. Spoke to two flooring companies and they have given two opposing answers, (apart from they both said its needs sanding/grinding to remove the laitance from the floor and then needs self levelling compound to smooth out the floor), one said kitchen goes in after the floor grinding and self leveling has been done, the other mentioned kitchen in first and then floor grinding and self leveling because why would you want to spend money on grinding and self levelling the floor which is covered by kitchen cabinets.
Anyone offer advice which is correct way to proceed?
p.s. both were local companies with high google review ratings.
We've changed our kitchen floor since it first went in, and it would annoy me to know the old finished floor was still under the cabinets.
Note that I have met one kitchen where the fitted kitchen was installed, then the tiles. - The gaps under the counter where the dishwasher / washing machine went were too small to get the units in - If the units could be magic-ed past the edge of the counter / edge of tiles they would fit fine.
What’s the flooring going to be?
Unless you’re having some sort of thin laminate or vinyl, seems over complicated and expensive to me… grinding the whole floor then adding yet another layer of self levelling?
Assuming the floor is ceramics…. Once the floor is screeded, and the UFH and self leveller is down why wouldn’t you just spot grind any high areas, then tile the lot before installing the kitchen? Decent flexible tile cement can easily accommodate any minor levelling issues and any flooring that can be damaged during a kitchen install isn’t really suitable for a kitchen in the 1st place.
Unless you’re having some sort of thin laminate or vinyl, seems over complicated and expensive to me… grinding the whole floor then adding yet another layer of self levelling?
Assuming the floor is ceramics…. Once the floor is screeded, and the UFH and self leveller is down why wouldn’t you just spot grind any high areas, then tile the lot before installing the kitchen? Decent flexible tile cement can easily accommodate any minor levelling issues and any flooring that can be damaged during a kitchen install isn’t really suitable for a kitchen in the 1st place.
Some flooring is easier to get right in an empty room.
Particularly working around an island and hoping it joins up right.
You can have kitchen units outlive floor coverings or v/v. I had a house with a 1930s parquet floor and a 90s kitchen, the floor was still good!
A kitchen that gets a lot of through traffic might have a short life for some flooring.
But I don't think I'd want trades like concrete grinding after the units were fitted.
I would have thought getting the basis of the floor right first would make fitting the units a lot easier, and having any units in would make the floor work harder.
You might think flooring the whole kitchen allows you to shift units about, but what floor surface doesn't wear or fade?
Unless it's ceramic tile, most people are going to change the floor if they change the units?
Particularly working around an island and hoping it joins up right.
You can have kitchen units outlive floor coverings or v/v. I had a house with a 1930s parquet floor and a 90s kitchen, the floor was still good!
A kitchen that gets a lot of through traffic might have a short life for some flooring.
But I don't think I'd want trades like concrete grinding after the units were fitted.
I would have thought getting the basis of the floor right first would make fitting the units a lot easier, and having any units in would make the floor work harder.
You might think flooring the whole kitchen allows you to shift units about, but what floor surface doesn't wear or fade?
Unless it's ceramic tile, most people are going to change the floor if they change the units?
Mr Pointy said:
Floor entire area, kitchen units sit on top of the flooring.
Pretty much all the kitchen and bath room fitters we spoke to said the same. Get the flooring done first, it's a much cleaner and neater solution. The cost of the few extra sqm of tiles is nothing in comparison. Just looking at the tiles in our kitchen if anything the effort/labour costs involved with cutting titles to fit around the units Vs just putting down the tiles would have likely the same or greater than the cost of tiles.
Our experience..(but then we might have had bad contractors)
They insisted all the units should be fitted before the flooring. The guys then did the flooring & the kitchen fitters had to come back as the plinths and unit ends were all the wrong depth.
I think this thread shows one size doesn't fit all. If the flooring is relatively inexpensive it must be easier to do the whole floor rather than cut around the units? If the flooring is expensive then the extra labour might be worth it to save on floor materials.
They insisted all the units should be fitted before the flooring. The guys then did the flooring & the kitchen fitters had to come back as the plinths and unit ends were all the wrong depth.
I think this thread shows one size doesn't fit all. If the flooring is relatively inexpensive it must be easier to do the whole floor rather than cut around the units? If the flooring is expensive then the extra labour might be worth it to save on floor materials.
Flooring first. Trying to cut round end panels is never going to be as neat as just sitting the unit on the finished floor.
Then there's going round an island which will never marry up from one side to the other.
I've got 1mx1m tiles in my kitchen and I'd have spent more time cutting and messing around than any "savings" if I'd done the kitchen first.
Plus you'll potentially have to plain your plinths down if you do the kitchen first. Just more work for a lower quality finish.
Then there's going round an island which will never marry up from one side to the other.
I've got 1mx1m tiles in my kitchen and I'd have spent more time cutting and messing around than any "savings" if I'd done the kitchen first.
Plus you'll potentially have to plain your plinths down if you do the kitchen first. Just more work for a lower quality finish.
I'd go floor finish first. Get that done properly and nicely level across the whole room, then sit the kitchen on top of it. Much easier than cutting it around the kitchen.
Think talking about floor grinding and self leveling is a bit of a red herring. That's a stage before tiling or laminate flooring.
Think talking about floor grinding and self leveling is a bit of a red herring. That's a stage before tiling or laminate flooring.
This is the argument I had with our kitchen fitter. I had enough flooring purchased to do the whole floor and I've been bitten before by tiling that stopped just under the front of the appliances. Making it impossible to slide them out without levering them up 12 mm at the same time as pulling them out.
In the end they just did what I wanted. I think it was easier for them in any case but god forbid that the. customer has an opinion.
In the end they just did what I wanted. I think it was easier for them in any case but god forbid that the. customer has an opinion.
gangzoom said:
Pretty much all the kitchen and bath room fitters we spoke to said the same. Get the flooring done first, it's a much cleaner and neater solution. The cost of the few extra sqm of tiles is nothing in comparison.
Just looking at the tiles in our kitchen if anything the effort/labour costs involved with cutting titles to fit around the units Vs just putting down the tiles would have likely the same or greater than the cost of tiles.
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMp06t7Pr6VnCA7sOf5az1YIOaHZIUgk0zdElho8EyCy7OUumsp79FS7CdjB7TiclYoCPCvrPkODVpN1RBjgkovJxrXvUdREfe-21kb_vrkFnEuUONc2mJbM7VSCiToaWoO_vBtLLd9RHdrHOGG35EVWA=w1080-h814-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
This x100Just looking at the tiles in our kitchen if anything the effort/labour costs involved with cutting titles to fit around the units Vs just putting down the tiles would have likely the same or greater than the cost of tiles.
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMp06t7Pr6VnCA7sOf5az1YIOaHZIUgk0zdElho8EyCy7OUumsp79FS7CdjB7TiclYoCPCvrPkODVpN1RBjgkovJxrXvUdREfe-21kb_vrkFnEuUONc2mJbM7VSCiToaWoO_vBtLLd9RHdrHOGG35EVWA=w1080-h814-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
I don’t care how good a tiler you are, you aren’t making cuts look that good.
False economy to save a few hundred quid on flooring when you’re spending 10’s of thousands on a kitchen.
Opinions obviously differ but I'm definitely in the floor first camp.
A decent kitchen fitting company will put down something to protect the floor.
When our kitchen was fitted I offered to help the fitter move one of the full height units. He refused my help and took gouges out of the ceiling. Muppet.
Top tip - don't have a kitchen installed by a fitter on his last job before his cataract operation.
A decent kitchen fitting company will put down something to protect the floor.
When our kitchen was fitted I offered to help the fitter move one of the full height units. He refused my help and took gouges out of the ceiling. Muppet.
Top tip - don't have a kitchen installed by a fitter on his last job before his cataract operation.
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