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Kitchens Flooring

Should I tile the kitchen before installing cabinets?

4 years ago

My husband and I are trying to update our home. We’re going to change the cabinets. Should we tile the floors and then replace the cabinets or install the cabinets first and then tile? Should the cabinets sit on top of the tile? We don’t know which to do first? We’re going to pay a contractor to install the cabinets because my husband doesn’t feel comfortable doing so. The kitchen is about 300 sq ft. We appreciate the advice in advance.

Featured Answer

Tia S
Original Author

4 years ago

Thank you Belaria. I don’t know how to tag you. I just started using this.

Thank you everyone for the advice.

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Comments (14)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
"Should the cabinets sit on top of the tile?"

Yes. At a minimum, shim the cabinets and appliance spaces to the tile height. Appliances shouldn't drop into a hole or get tiled in.
Seabornman
4 years ago
It is definitely easier to paint as much as you can before cabinets are installed. You may have to touch up or put a final coat on afterwards. The flooring depends on the situation, but if it's ceramic tile, I'd probably do it afterwards. If it's inexpensive ceramic tile on concrete slab you could extend under cabinets to wall.
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I will caution you to be careful with Daltile since I had a very recent, very bad experience. Our tile guy bought what we requested and many things were not in stock. Very long story short, most of it came in little by little over the next few months. After 2.5 or 3 months the master bath floor was still not in (they missed two different dates on this one) and it wasn't going to be in for two more months. Everything else was already installed and designed around this floor and I had to pick something else. Just make sure they actually have it and don't trust any future dates they give you because they are just guesses and you may never get it. Oh, the customer service can't be considered bad since it is completely non existent.
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I appreciate all the advice. As I mentioned, the floor is completely covered right now so I can't take any photos. And it's covered for a reason, so I don't want to pull all the cardboard off just to take some photos. When the time comes to pull it off and address this, if I'm still unsure about what to do I'll post photos and would appreciate your input. Even though there's no definitive answer, lots of great advice and things to think about and weigh. One thing I'm still not clear on is how much of a mess this is going to make. I know to start their going to have to break some tiles up. But once they get a few tiles out can they pry the rest of the tiles off in one piece or will they have to bust everything up to get it off? And if they remove the tile, will the float below be damaged to the point it has to be redone or can they just patch up some trouble spots where there is a lot of damage? The aftermath is part of the decision for me. If it's possible to cleanly remove the tiles without making a giant mess or destroying the float then I will most likely have them start over using a leveling system. If this is a major demo job with a ton of mess and dust then I'd be less inclined to go through with that.
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Aglitter
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Always tile the entire floor first if you have the chance before placing cabinetry on top.
User
4 years ago
Permanent floors go under the cabinets. Floating floors butt to the cabinets sitting on shims that raise them up to the finished floor height.
Tia S
Original Author
4 years ago
They’re porcelain tile. Thank you for the advice. I was told on another social media to only put it where you can see it. It didn’t seem right.
Aglitter
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
@Tia S That advice would be a money-saving idea or something to do if the cabinetry were already installed and you were replacing a floor, not a fresh porcelain tile installation done right.
julieste
4 years ago
So, LVP floating floor planks go in after the cabinets are installed. Correct?
Aglitter
4 years ago
@julieste I wouldn't put LVP under cabinetry and a countertop, particularly natural stone.
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
@ Julieste - the answer to your question is "You are correct." A floating floor (of any type) cannot be installed underneath cabinetry or anything that is anchored in place.
PRO
Vince Antonio
3 years ago
Question - With a new floor installation (porcelain tile), would it be advisable to install the cabinets first, then tile? I’m told that the weight of the cabinets over time will cause hairline cracks in the tile. Doesn’t sound right to me so I’m asking the question. Thanks in advance!
Aglitter
3 years ago
It is often recommended to tile before installing cabinetry to minimize the cut edges and to make appliance holes easier to fit. You will need porcelain tile for this with a minimum breaking strength of 250 LBF (pounds per square inch), preferably closer to 500 LBF. If you tile first, your toe kick can be shorter, the classic 3 1/2" high. If you tile last, the toe kick should be around 4 1/2" high. Porcelain tile should not crack or craze underneath cabinets unless it isn't flat and properly supported or there are voids with the mortar. I would highly recommend a Ditra or similar underlayment to help support the tile.
PRO
Avanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
3 years ago
I ALWAYS recommend tiling "wall to wall" before anything else is put in. What happens if, years later, you decide to move, kill or change the island? Same with any cabinet modifications. Give the countertop and cabinet guys a clean slate...
PRO
Avanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
3 years ago
Talking about tile, of course......

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