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Home Repair Flooring Kitchens

Replacing under sink kitchen cabinet floor

Brian von Dedenroth

3 years ago

Under our kitchen sink the cabinet floor was rotten so i need to replace but am a little clueless about the best way to go about it. Do I need to replace the rosin paper layer that's torn and if so what's the best way to attach it to the subfloor? And the bigger issue, how would you build a wood support to anchor the cabinet floor given that there are pieces of hardwood floor under there at a different level than the wood subfloor? Do I just lay some wood in there, drill it to the hardwood pieces and leave it floating over the subfloor in the middle, or attach to the subfloor and leave gaps on each corner, or something else?

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Comments (6)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
Screw some perimeter blocking to the cabinet walls and put in a new cabinet bottom on top of those. I wouldn't fool with the floor under the cabinet as long as you've stopped the leak that caused the damage.
ci_lantro
3 years ago
Is the subfloor wet or is that grease?

I would remove the resin paper, clean up, dry thoroughly. Then two coats of pigmented shellac (BIN in the red can) to seal in any lingering odor.

To replace the bottom, glue & screw cleats to the side of the cabinet and plop down new 3/4" plywood (not particle board, not MDF, not OSB. Nail the plywood to the cleats. You can caulk the seams, prime & paint the plywood. Add some sheet vinyl flooring cut to size, stick down vinyl tile, or even just some heavy vinyl coated wallpaper. I've even used the vinyl material from quality roll-up window shades for shelf liner.

Looks like an easy replacement since the cabinets appear to be frameless. Saves you the problem of having to pop off the front face frame.

No need to anchor the new bottom to the floor. That's just extra work; the old bottom wasn't connected to the floor...or, if it was, it didn't need to be.
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Hello... There is a saying that the kitchen is the meeting room of the home. With that being said, yes , you could attempt to repair a damaged cabinet, but to what extent is it damaged? Sounds like the doors are in good shape. But it is the base i believe for what you are referring to. When it is all repaired ( the cabinet ) will it be noticable? DO you care if it is not repaired correctly? If so, then you should think about replacing the entire cabinet base and save yourself some grief. Here is a link that might be useful: Bergen County Contractors
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You did not say if the supply lines were leaking or the drain."Quite some time" can be a lot of different things and there could have been a substantial amount of water under the cabinet that may be producing mold,May be rotting the subfloor or may have wicked into the wall. I would get someone in to remove the bottom shelf of the cabinet and do an inspection to see what the issue is,fix any issues and then replace the bottom of the cabinet with something other than particle board.
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Looks really good and likely easier to clean than wood. I also like that you painted the interior of the doors and the bottom of the sink black. I, too, have a stainless steel sink (which I like) but I failed to realize that the black stuff that is on the bottom of each bowl sheds off if not painted. Ended up spraying clear spray paint on it after it was installed. Also like the idea of the battery powered "closet" light on the right side.
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You can replace just the floor. There are several cautions. Do not increase the height of the floor in front of dishwasher/other under cabinet appliance. That will prevent removing that unit if necessary. Or removing the countertop. You will need to cut the old flooring as close to the cabinet bases as possible. That becomes a huge water leak situation as well as a dirt catcher and eyesore. You will need to seal the gap and install some kind of trim to minimize dirt/water/look problems. If there is damaged sub flooring that extends under the cabinets, that is a fairly serious situation. Patching should be done by replacing the entire area---even under the cabinets. When the cabinets are replaced, matching the flooring height will be the major concern. Unless the new cabinet footprints are shorter---and expose more of the old flooring.
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Brian von Dedenroth
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion Joseph. the cabinet walls are the same so so particle board with the predrilled holes that the cabinet floor was made of. You know cheap cabinets. There were dowels and screws in it holding up the previous particle board floor but I don't think they're in a condition to hold up anything else especially plywood. The leak is stopped and I think putting braces on the floor would be the sturdiest just not sure the best way to go about it with the varying heights of plywood subfloor, harwood inserts, and even a couple of thin shims between the hardwood and the bottom of the cabinet in the front only. So I'm dealing with three different heights.
ci_lantro
3 years ago
Ignore the existing holes. Install the blocking/ cleats over the holes. Glue & screw. Careful w/ screws in particle board. Just a couple of screws per cleat plus the glue.
Brian von Dedenroth
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for the detailed response Cilantro. That sounds like a good way to go. It is water. When I was working under there I accidentally tripped the shut off valve. I dried it with some towels and have a fan going on it now. I was planning on waiting till everything is completely dry before continuing. What kind of cleats and screws do you think would work best for this?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
1x and drywall screws; it's just a cabinet bottom.

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