Should kitchen cabinets always be installed on the concrete slab?

[duneslider]

Here is my take as a flooring contractor. Flooring should run under cabinets, period. Just looks better. I am not a fan of the run tight to toe kicks and put in quarter round. The comment about not being able to get flooring out from under cabinets is not a good one. I have cut back all types of flooring that ran under the cabinets. Tile, wood, vinyl, etc. They make a toe-kick saw specifically for this purpose. Whenever possible I would try to pull the cabinets out of a room to reinstall flooring, not everyone wants to go that route but a lot do and really it is the right way to do it in my opinion.

I'm not the cabinet expert Jar is but around here, the cheaper cabinets where the boxes aren't seperate from the box you level and shim the front, then the back just gets screwed to the wall. The base cabinets are basically installed like wall cabinets. Highend cabinets would be done like Jar is doing but us common folk just screw the cabinets to the wall.

Now, floating floors should not have cabinets installed on top of them.

 

[jar944]

the cheaper cabinets where the boxes aren't seperate from the box you level and shim the front, then the back just gets screwed to the wall. The base cabinets are basically installed like wall cabinets. Highend cabinets would be done like Jar is doing but us common folk just screw the cabinets to the wall.

That would be the normal/standard/common way. Ladder toe kicks (like my pictures) or the adjustable feet like Riltman posted about are not as common integral toe kicks.

 

[PoorUB]

We just did a kitchen remodel and I was concerned about the height of the opening for the dishwasher. The flooring we pit down was commercial grade, sold vinyl about 5/16" thick so it wasn't an issue. I can see with ceramic tile and a layer of quick set it could be an issue. Then just shim up the cabinets with 1/2" plywood or something similar and tile up to the toe kick.. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to keep the cabinets off the bare concrete anyway to avoid moisture.

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Just lace in matching flooring, no need to rip everything out.

How am I going to do that? I have no idea where this flooring came from. Not to mention... wood changes color as it ages. NFW would new hickory be the same color as old hickory. The cabinets are hickory, and because of microwave installation over the range, I put in a new cabinet a few years ago. Same cabinet manufacturer, same line of cabinets, same color code, just different size and 20 years difference. It doesn't match the color of the older cabinets. Lots of stuff yellows with age. All our light oak furniture has gone from white-ish to yellow-ish. My ash speaker cabinets have gone from yellow to orange,

 

[no704]

I’m in the all was tile to the wall camp. If it’s tore out that far. Also keep a couple few extra tiles squirmed away somewhere. If after many years you happen to somehow break a tile that is no longer available you might be able to salvage one from under a counter. And save the entire floor.

 

[jar944]

How am I going to do that? I have no idea where this flooring came from. Not to mention... wood changes color as it ages. NFW would new hickory be the same color as old hickory. The cabinets are hickory, and because of microwave installation over the range, I put in a new cabinet a few years ago. Same cabinet manufacturer, same line of cabinets, same color code, just different size and 20 years difference. It doesn't match the color of the older cabinets. Lots of stuff yellows with age. All our light oak furniture has gone from white-ish to yellow-ish. My ash speaker cabinets have gone from yellow to orange,

There is usually more color variation in a floor than cabinets. I would expect a reasonable match could be found.

This was 17 years difference