We are going to remodel a kitchen that currently has a linoleum floor covering that leads to carpet in the dining area and living room area. We are going to remove a wall and re-do the whole floor area in hardwood flooring. The kitchen will be totally re-done at the same time. Should we extend the flooring under the appliances and cabinets and island, and if not, do you scab in something to keep everything at the same level?

You say it will be a hardwood flooring -- will it be floating floor or a nail down floor? Is it a concrete slab area, or wood subfloor?

If its a nail down, extending the floor under the cabinets before you install the cabinets is the best way to do it. But it doesn't have to go all the way under. You can scab in as you questioned. Same with the dishwasher area -- put the flooring under the toe kick of the dishwasher, and you can scab a couple of runners to the backside so the dishwasher slides back and forth. But no one will see the scabs anyway.It will save you time and money. A floating floor needs to float, so don't run it under the cabinets.

You can do the flooring after the cabinets are in, which helps to protect the flooring from damage during the remodel. But you end up with surface nailing the boards near the cabinets.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Re-mdlr,

Yeah - Exactly what he said!

Thank you....the dishwasher and sink will probably be in an island so they are side by side...unless you forsee a problem with doing it this way...just in case you can't tell...I am somewhat new to this...farmed for thirty years, and work as a supervisor in a manufacturing plant...so tools and using them is nothing new.

I would add if you're going with a prefinished floor install it after you install the cabinets. If a finished in place install it before, and do the final sand and finish after the cabinets are installed. Though in a remodeling situation you won't have as many things going on that could damage the finish. Here when they build a new home the hardwoods go in very early, possibly even before the drywall, but the floors aren't sanded and finished until the end.

oh, here we go again. floor first, or cabinets first?

if you never, ever want to get your dead dishwasher out for repairs or replacement, by all means, do everything else and lay the floor last. or try to remove the granite countertop without shattering its $5000-ness... and good luck there, pard.

alternately, chalk the locations of the cabinets, lay the wood down so it covers the chalk lines by say, a couple inches or so, set the cabinets, and then put do0wn rosin paper and lay Masonite sheets over that. now you can scrape and drop heavy sharp stuff all you want without hurting the floor.

I would put some exterior ply down at the same height as the wood floors in the dishwasher cubby so it slides out easily for service, and you don't have to lift and pull on the thing. the rails are not machined like a Swiss watch, and will be rough on the hands otherwise.