I'm wondering what issues might arise from installing laminate flooring under kitchen cabinets. I've heard that it could void the warranty, but I'm curious if the floor itself will hold up well. We're in the middle of a home remodel, and the flooring team installed the laminate before the cabinet team placed the cabinets on top. Should I be concerned about this setup? If there's a potential problem, is there a way to fix it? Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
Good points made already! But consider that in a few years, if you want to replace the flooring, you'll face a hassle when trying to cut around the cabinets or pulling them out to install new floors. Just something to keep in mind for the future!
Laminate, especially when installed as a floating floor, needs room to expand and contract due to changes in temperature and moisture. If cabinets are resting on top of the laminate, it can't move freely, which may lead to separation and failure of the flooring. To avoid this, one solution is to create an expansion seam around the cabinets. You might want to consider using a toe kick saw for this, especially since the flooring runs perpendicular to the cabinet bases.
You're likely going to see separation at the seams that run parallel to the cabinets. Since the floor should ideally move as one unit, having it anchored by the cabinets can create issues. If your kitchen space is small, you might not encounter problems right away, but keep an eye on it.
It's a smaller kitchen with about four base cabinets. Do you think I should use the toe kick saw or just not worry about it?
Yeah, a toe kick saw should help in this case!