Assuming you can adjust your DW, stove and fridge appropriately, I'd put a piece of plywood under the cabinets to lift them since it's such a short distance. I think piecing in backsplash would end up looking pieced.

I assume the cabinets are all staying in current locations? So you don't really want to pull them out, do anything to the floor underneath, and reinstall, do you?

Ask the granite fabricator if you should put a plywood top on the cabinets - it should help support the granite, and with the overhang I don't think you'd notice the edge of the plywood underneath the granite. If you do, you could always put a thin piece of trim on the edge (before countertop installed would make it easier) flush with top of plywood and face of cabinet. Since it looks like you have oak cabinets, make it oak trim, I'd just go with flat 1-by and it will look like part of the cabinet frame.

And you should use a matching caulk, not grout, between the backsplash and counter. Won't crack, won't scratch, and non-porous.

Make sure you put new baseboard in to cover the old hardwood showing above the new laminate. Or you could pad the floor to bring the new laminate up to the same level. Does the old hardwood meet any other flooring surface that's staying (in family room, dining room doorway, etc.)?

What is your backsplash material? Could you use something like a quater round shoe mold? ithink they make decorative ones, too.

Put plywood on the cabinets to get the granite to within 1/4 inch or less, then use flexible sanded caulk/grout along the edge.

Hide the edge of the plywood with a small strip of molding.

Good suggestions so far. I really like the plywood idea. We needed to have a granite back splash in order to cover up the gaps between the granite & wall. We had the old 4" granite strip cut down to 1.5". It wasn't the original idea, but it worked out pretty well. That would work in your case, too.

Don't put your cabinets on the subfloor. This will lower your run and any appliances you have, like a dishwasher. You won't be able to get your dishwasher out from under the counter when it is setting on the subfloor because there will be no clearance.

I had this subfloor situation and had to put a ply on top my cabinets with a keyhole cut out of the ply where the dishwasher goes, so I could lift it out over the 1/2" ledge on the floor. I came up with this idea to correct the mistake that the cabinet installer created. I then had my carpenter cut strips of matching trim and cover the edge of the 1/2" ply. It looks very good.

In my case when the remodeling began, there was old 3/4" ply laid many years ago that was butted up against even older cabinets. So when the cabinets were removed I had a significant drop from the floor. The cabinet guy told me to leave it (dumb idea). I fortunately laid a 3/8" ply over the area, splitting the difference, but that still left about 1/2". I should have built it up to the main floor.

thanks everyone.. here are some details.. when i tore out the tile, the sink base and lazy susan were damaged by water years ago - so they need replaced. The end base cabinet is being replaced by wider one with trash bins inside and the one in the picture is free - so that just leaves one cabinet that would have to be removed. So putting the plywood underneath would not be too hard.

Xand83, what type of granite is that?

No idea what kind/name of granite we have. It was here when we bought the house.

I was going to suggest a short granite backsplash as x83 has done. At least the 1.5 shown above. Looks very good, imo.

does the main granite top go to the wall and the backsplash piece sites on top of it or does the granite backsplash piece touch the cabinet?

@darby427- In our kitchen? The granite back splash *mostly* sits on the granite countertop and touches the wall. The gap was 1" in some places, so there was no way that the tile back splash could cover it properly.

The granite strips don't touch the cabinets.

I agree, everything will "drop down" if the flooring under the cabinets and in front of the cabinets aren't the same height. Now, instead of your countertops being 36" high, they would be lower and your kick would be shorter too . And, like enduring said, if you ever had to pull that DW out of there, forget it...the feet would catch on the edge of the higher flooring. You could put plywood under your cabinets to raise the level, but IMHO this is not the best solution. The butt edge of the plywood and the laminate would have to match exactly or it would look like a patch job. The best solution would be to laminate under the cabinet (I know it's an expense for something never seen), and then put plywood on top of the cabinets to raise the slab to the height required to meet your b/s.

This post was edited by canuckplayer on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 16:32

Just adding the stone, what will be the height of the backsplash?

about 7/8"

I don't like any of the plywood/shimming ideas. Not only will it look funny under the cabinets, even with trim, it will screw up the top height for the appliances.

Chip the grout off the bottom row of tile. Install a thin band of decorative trim tile or solid surface. Grout between the tiles and silicone between the tile bottom and the deck.

I was assuming all cabinets would remain and that the stove, sink, everything but the fridge (not a problem with countertops) would be at the same height as with tile countertop IF granite was made the same height and existing hardwood left underneath.

But since you're pulling out almost all the cabinets anyway, I agree, pull them all out, pull out all the flooring, and even if you don't want to run laminate under the cabinets, block them up to the height of the finished flooring. I have reno'd 1 bathroom by blocking up the vanity and installing before tile went in, and the kitchen and both bathrooms in modular house have been done that way (with tile run under the DW and range locations so no height issues).

There are many options for a small tile trim. May be a hunt for matching the existing tile, but worth it. And I would stay with simple, solid color, so you aren't diverting from the overall look. You might look at the wall tile on sheets too. They come in many different widths and materials. Can pull them off and use individually.

I would also install the laminate under the cabinets. The idea of plywood with trim doesn't appeal to me.

Here is a picture of my trim to cover the plywood underlayment I had to install due to installation issues mentioned above in my post on 3-14 at 10:43.

7/8" to cover? But what about the height of the backsplash after the counter goes on, from countertop to upper cabinets. There are code issues around that, as well as use issues if the cabinets become too low.

Be sure to follow the laminate floor manufacturer's installation instructions, especially regarding cabinets (page 379).

Here is a link that might be useful: Installation Instructions

I thought I would post an update - I ended up doing a row of the glass / stone. Bought them in sheets that were 5 rows by 1' long, cut them into individual rows. All and all turned out great! I left the cabinets where they were.

another view

Thanks for posting the update! That single row worked out well :)

Thanks! Got lucky :) Only had 1 spot where things were tight - top picture, below the left outlet - had to chisel out 3 backsplash tiles, slide them up ever-so-slightly. Luckily we had spare backsplash tiles and I found the exact grout that I used 10 years ago. All and all it worked out well

That turned out remarkably well. Good job.

That is beautiful! I love that little row.

I kind of held my breath as I scrolled down for your pictures. But, there was no need. It looks remarkably good. Great, creative fix. Enjoy! And thanks for posting the follow up.

Darby, I like the idea and seemed like a fairly easy fix. Looks fantastic and planned!

That looks like you planned it that way, not like a "fix". Great choice, great job.

I am a couple of years late to this thread, but I am now facing the same issue. Would love to see a pic of your countertop/backsplash xand83. It's not available any longer. And I agree, yours looks great darby427!