Tiling kitchen floor - before or after units?
Tiling kitchen floor - before or after units?
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Discussion

aberdeeneuan

Original Poster:

1,394 posts

194 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Hi, we're in the middle of a kitchen re-fit and i'm wondering what the best order is for the floor. Am I better laying the floor before the units? And if so, why? I was just going to do it after but having second thoughts now.

satans worm

2,436 posts

233 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
aberdeeneuan said:
Hi, we're in the middle of a kitchen re-fit and i'm wondering what the best order is for the floor. Am I better laying the floor before the units? And if so, why? I was just going to do it after but having second thoughts now.
Do it after or you will just end up scratching the floor.
no disadvantage either (just fit the kick plates after the tiling)

andy43

11,781 posts

270 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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If you're having plinths, tiling after saves tiles and possible damage when you fit the kitchen.
If no plinths (trendy ickle shiny legs instead) you'll need to tile the lot first.

aussiebruce

452 posts

206 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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tile before,

Tuna

19,930 posts

300 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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aussiebruce said:
tile before,
That was a well reasoned argument. We're in the same position - care to elaborate?

Rich135

802 posts

258 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Any professional would do it before. Gives a much better finish to the tiles (no joins to be made up to the kickboards, no cutting round corners etc etc), and make the tiling job so much easier!

If you have a water leak, or water just gets near the kickboards (it happens, especially with kids!) it would just sit on the tile under the cupboard rather than going straight onto the floor boards.

If you ever want to change the kitchen design/cupboards you won't need to re-tile.

You won't scratch the tiles with the cupboards! They are tiles!

satans worm

2,436 posts

233 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Rich135 said:
You won't scratch the tiles with the cupboards! They are tiles!
Really!!! We have marble tiles that seem to scratch very easy, any of the power tools/ screwdriver etc would scratch them not to mention the general walking over in boots. I guess it depends on your tile choice.


zcacogp

11,239 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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We tiled afterwards. For all the reasons listed, and the fact that the tiles were very expensive so using less of them was a good thing.

In retrospect I'm glad, as we used natrual slate tiles which were a pain in the ar5e to lay as they were 'uncalibrated' (i.e. not cut straight and all different sizes), and also fell apart very readily. Laying less of them was no bad thing ...


Oli.

pacman1

7,323 posts

209 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Rich135 said:
Any professional would do it before. Gives a much better finish to the tiles (no joins to be made up to the kickboards, no cutting round corners etc etc), and make the tiling job so much easier!

If you have a water leak, or water just gets near the kickboards (it happens, especially with kids!) it would just sit on the tile under the cupboard rather than going straight onto the floor boards.

If you ever want to change the kitchen design/cupboards you won't need to re-tile.

You won't scratch the tiles with the cupboards! They are tiles!
Wot he said. And if you are doing the job properly yourself then you will take care not to damage the floor, put dust sheets down etc. If you are tiling on floor boarding/marine ply, don't forget to to use flexible adhesive and grout. It's more expensive but saves any dramas later on. hthsmile

Simpo Two

89,384 posts

281 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
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Unless you're having the 'shiny legs' option as mentioned, I'd go Base units, Floor (up to unit legs) - Plinth. I've fitted two kitchens as a 'good amateur' and they look fine. You don't tile 'up to the plinth' as someone suggested - you won't be able to remove the plinth later if you need to get at something - but tile back sufficiently (up to the legs) so the plinths sit on top of the tiles, and it looks exactly the same as if they go back to the wall.

It may seem LOGICAL to do the floor first because it's the flat bit that everything goes on; in practice, it isn't necessarily so.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 21st October 10:53

zcacogp

11,239 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Unless you're having the 'shiny legs' option as mentioned, I'd go Base units, Floor (up to unit legs) - Plinth. I've fitted two kitchens as a 'good amateur' and they look fine. You don't tile 'up to the plinth' as someone suggested - you won't be able to remove the plinth later if you need to get at something - but tile back sufficiently (up to the legs) so the plinths sit on top of the tiles, and it looks exactly the same as if they go back to the wall.

It may seem LOGICAL to do the floor first because it's the flat bit that everything goes on; in practice, it isn't necessarily so.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 21st October 10:53
Another great post from Simpo Two. It's exactly what I would have written if I could have been ar5ed to type it! smile


Oli.

Edited by zcacogp on Wednesday 21st October 11:13

monthefish

20,466 posts

247 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
Simpo Two said:
Unless you're having the 'shiny legs' option as mentioned, I'd go Base units, Floor (up to unit legs) - Plinth. I've fitted two kitchens as a 'good amateur' and they look fine. You don't tile 'up to the plinth' as someone suggested - you won't be able to remove the plinth later if you need to get at something - but tile back sufficiently (up to the legs) so the plinths sit on top of the tiles, and it looks exactly the same as if they go back to the wall.

It may seem LOGICAL to do the floor first because it's the flat bit that everything goes on; in practice, it isn't necessarily so.
Another great post from Simpo Two. It's exactly what I would have written if I could have been ar5ed to type it! smile

Oli.
Exactly.

I was about to type bold bit, but was beaten to it.

The 'spilt water' argument that is regularly put forward, whilst it is valid to a degree, you'd really have to be talking a hell of a lot of water for it to have any real detrimental effect. I think a standard mop bucket full is probably the most amount of water that the floor is ever going to suddenly see, and this wouldn't have a major effect by the time it has spread across the floor (there's a plinth there as well remember, which will 'deflect' a lot of the water away from under the units').

The 're-doing the kitchen' argument is also one which doesn't carry much weight as most kitchens are standard sized, and therefore a new kitchen is likely to be the same size as the outgoing one.

Anyway, each to their own, but personally I think the argument for tiling as per simpo's suggestion above, far outweights the argument to tile right up to the wall.

aberdeeneuan

Original Poster:

1,394 posts

194 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Thanks for all the advice guys!

We're going to have plinths, as we had the polished leg thing in the old place and they are a pain in the ass as you need to clean under the kitchen units and life is too short :-)

If we ever did change the layout in the kitchen it would be because we'd extended the kitchen, so we'd likely need more tiles anyway so I think we'll fit the units first, then the floor.

Now, an aside - we have a breakfast bar going in as well - presumably I'd fit that after the floor went down in case we change it later?

Finally - anyone got any tips on where to get tiles from? the missus likes slate but i'm not a fan of the cost!

Venom

1,858 posts

275 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Another vote here for tiling after doing the units, up to the legs, if you're having a plinth. Exactly what I did in the old place, and no problems whatsoever. Just saves on expensive tiles.

That said, if you're going the shiny legs route, you'll definitely want complete coverage, for obvious reasons.

Simpo Two

89,384 posts

281 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
Another great post from Simpo Two. It's exactly what I would have written if I could have been ar5ed to type it! smile
Cool - send money!

zcacogp

11,239 posts

260 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
zcacogp said:
Another great post from Simpo Two. It's exactly what I would have written if I could have been ar5ed to type it! smile
Cool - send money!
I've got a 'phone bill here for £156.89p ... can I send you that instead? wink


Oli.

netherfield

2,906 posts

200 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
May not be relevant in this case,

If you are doing the whole room thing,make sure the skirting boards are there before tiling.

Unlike our dumb builders who tiled the floor and then fitted the skirting,which after shrinking has now left a 2 to 3mm gap under the boards. And the excuse "you can't buy seasoned timber anymore,so you'll always get some shrinkage".

marc.l

822 posts

241 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
netherfield said:
May not be relevant in this case,

If you are doing the whole room thing,make sure the skirting boards are there before tiling.

Unlike our dumb builders who tiled the floor and then fitted the skirting,which after shrinking has now left a 2 to 3mm gap under the boards. And the excuse "you can't buy seasoned timber anymore,so you'll always get some shrinkage".
I would do it the other way around, floor down, then skirting. I always think tileing up to skirting looks very amature. I tiled my floor before we put in the units and also tiled right up to the walls. It made fitting the units loads easier.

B17NNS

18,506 posts

263 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
Re the skirting board issue always tile then fit skirting boards. Makes the job easier (less accuracy needed with the cuts) plus you get no grout line around your skirting.

Re the units, units first, adjust legs to allow for plinth plus tile and adhesive. Re the comment 'every pro would', afraid not. A decent tiler will have no problem getting a quality finish with units in place. In fact it makes it easier to plan the job properly, no little slithers alongside units etc. Plus you save the cost of tiling where it will not be seen.

V12Les

3,985 posts

212 months

Wednesday 21st October 2009
quotequote all
netherfield said:
May not be relevant in this case,

If you are doing the whole room thing,make sure the skirting boards are there before tiling.

Unlike our dumb builders who tiled the floor and then fitted the skirting,which after shrinking has now left a 2 to 3mm gap under the boards. And the excuse "you can't buy seasoned timber anymore,so you'll always get some shrinkage".
Your "dumb" builders were right to put the skirting on top of the tiles. Only an amature would think of doing it the other way round.