Our site finished white oak floors were finished before cabinet install. After curing for several days, the floors were covered with thick cardboard, and the cabs were then installed. All went fine. No damage. Click to enlarge.

Wow! Such a beautiful serene space. Thank you for the info. May I ask what type of polyurethane you used?

@taliaferro, I know we chose a satin finish, but I don’t recall the brand, if that’s what you’re asking. Asked my DH, but he doesn’t recall the brand, either.

We didn’t want a high gloss finish, and love how the satin finish came out. It‘s a matte finish, but not the most matte that was available.

Edited to add: My son just reminded me...the polyurethane was water based.

We have a rangetop, so no problem with weight there. However, the 42” SZ FD fridge was another story...a bit trickier to deal with. Fortunately, installation turned out fine, with no damage to the wood floor. The cardboard did get dented, but it did it’s job.

It's possible to get the sanding, sealing and two coats of finish done. The FULL CURE must happen (Bona Traffic HD is 5-10 days) = NO ONE working in the house...AT ALL. Then the Ram Board is put down and the kitchen goes ahead with install.

Once everything is all set up, a final coat is applied to the entire home and another FULL CURE (5-10 days) occurs before you move in/reno finishes.

So the question becomes, do you want to have ONE cure time...or two? Do you have TIME to allow the floors to FULLY CURE before the kitchen goes in?

Are you willing to accept a bit of damage to a finished floor?

Personally I would get the floor in and leave it. The kitchen goes in over the raw wood. Leave the trim and toe kicks OFF. Get all the wet work done (painting, tiling, etc). Bring in the flooring professional once the kitchen is FINISHED...and allow him/her to do his/her job without interruption and without any pressure.

Any issues the subs caused to the floors will be dealt with by the sand/refinish process. The trim gets put in place once the floors are finished. Now you wait the 5-10 days for the cure and move in.

Bona Traffic HD actually fully cures in 3 days per spec sheet. And the recommendation is Sealer followed by two coats of Bona Traffic HD.

Also, I’m not willing to accept a bit of damage to a finished floor. I would expect any damage to be repaired.

But I think having the flooring finished after the cabinets are installed would be more worrisome since cabinet repairs would be much more involved.

Per what @SJ McCarthy said about the lengthy process, including curing, and not being in the house during this time (the stuff is toxic, the smell overwhelming)...We were still living in our former home when the renovation of the new (to us) house was happening. So, it was no biggie for us to wait out the flooring process, offsite.

Yes, we don’t live in the house. The issue is that the contractor wants to move the project along, which doesn’t always align with best practices. Hence my query here.

Even though Bona Traffic HD says 3 days...that might be 90% cure. A full 100% cure can take 5 days. And I prefer 3 coats of these building finishes. That's when you get the COMMERCIAL grade wear surface...not just the residential wear.

To be clear, cabinets are relatively easy to touch up (depending on the finish, etc). If floors get damaged, there is a LOT of square footage to deal with.

It is your call. My question would be, WHO is doing the actual flooring project? Is it some 'guy' on the crew or is it an independent flooring professional who has been hired out to do the job? If it is the "flooring professional" then I would ask HIM/HER what his/her preference is.

A floor professional's preference trumps GC's want to be done with a project.

Don’t let the contractor dictate the timetable for the floors. It needs to fully cure. Three days is not enough.

Also, as stated by @SJ McCarthy, three coats is preferable. And, yes, a flooring pro should be doing the floors. A good contractor will have several professional specialists that he regularly uses, including an electrician, and a flooring pro.

Oh yes, a flooring pro is doing the floor. We had a bit of a tiff over that early on. The contractor wanted the hardwood floor installation to be done in house (by a carpentry “apprentice” and the project manager who is a carpenter), and then bring in the flooring professionals for the finishing. We balked, and sadly our relationship with the contractor has suffered.

Also, one thing I have learned is that the subs’ interest is in preserving their relationship with the contractor. They will not take a position or offer an opinion that might contradict the contractor.

Sigh.