Where to put the kitchen cabinets?

Question

Hello, I have a question on kitchen cabinets.  I'm wondering where the kitchen cabinets should go..over the tile or if we should tile around the cabinets.  The reason I ask is because my handyman asked me if he could just tile the whole floor first so he doesn't need to wait on the cabinets that are on order.  My only concern is that it wouldn't look right.  Thank you!

J Scott · Answer

I'm in the "cabinets go on subfloor" camp and you just tile (or lay hardwood or vinyl) up to the toe-kicks...

A couple reasons for this:

1. Why spend more on flooring than you need to?

2. I like flooring to the VERY LAST thing that gets installed.  Once we have carpet or wood down, I don't want anyone walking on the floors unless they might buy the place.  If you put flooring down before the cabinets, you then have lots of contractors walking on the floors -- the cabinet guys, the plumber (installing the kitchen sink/faucet), the electrician (garbage disposal), appliance installer, etc...

Brian Levredge · Answer

If the cabinets have toe kicks I've always been a fan of putting them on the subfloor and tiling up to them.  I've done tile under cabinets only once and that was because the cabinets had legs (which are a huge pain in the ass to keep clean underneath) It's a waste of time.  If you have a good tile guy who can square a room and actually knows how to lay, then you will never have a problem with appliances, even with the counter tops on.  There a good reason why most dishwashers and stoves have adjustable feet on the bottom.

Generally, floors are off way more than walls due to settling issues.   It's not uncommon for a floor to be off as much as an 1.5" or so over 15'.  That means having to install some clunky looking QR or base at the bottom of the cabinet if your guy isn't floating the floor.

Bill Gulley · Answer

You could go either way, but-

if tile is under the cabinet you will want to run trim and caulk under it to prevent water from  going under the cabinets and setting there, if you have a significant leak. Due to the gout lines it's harder to seal the bottom edge. Your tile guy will charge you for laying tile you'll never see plus cost of materials too.

If the edge of the tile is an quarter inch higher than the base of the cabinet, it's easier to seal the edge and caulk under the leading edge of the cabinet. Keeps it dryer under there....either way you can use quarter round trim or other trim at the bottom, so they will never know. If your cabinets are not straight, the job will be a little more work too.

Matt Kearney · Answer

We always keep the cabinets on the subfloor and tile up to them..... never under them.

This seems to be the way that most of the experienced contractors and tile guys prefer to do it.

There's your answer  :D

Chris Calabrese · Answer

I've always done cabinets first, tiled up to them, and then installed quarter-round and appliances.  Just make sure you measure your appliances first so you don't run into problems later.  One time, I had to take the legs completely off a dishwasher to gain about 1/4 inch to squeeze it in, but there is generally enough room with stock cabinets/toekicks.

Greg P. · Answer

He's doing both.  Thanks!

J Scott · Answer

There is no "right" answer to the question...both are equally valid if you have the contractor team in place to get it done and you don't mind the cost (if you go the more expensive route).

I guess the question is, do you trust your tile guy or your cabinet guy more?  If your tile guy, put the cabinets in first.  If you cabinet guy, put the tile in first...

Brian Levredge · Answer

Is your handyman also installing the cabinets and going to guarantee the final look if you let him tile under them?  His reasoning is that he doesn't want to wait which creates a conflict if he isn't the guy also putting in the cabinets.  The last thing you want is two subs pointing fingers at each other because one guy wants to take the easy way out.

Greg P. · Answer

Sigh, I appreciate all the advice, but I'm getting two different opinions as I did when I called around.  It seems like there is no right answer.  The main this is, I would like it to "look" right and nice.  Thank you as always.

Steve Babiak · Answer

Here's a couple of related threads so you get a few more opinions and circumstances to consider:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/84-do-it-yourself/topics/7520-when-to-tile

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/54346-dishwasher-new-tile-issue

Where to put the kitchen cabinets?

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